The News of the World’s revelations yesterday about “spot fixing” are devastating for cricket, and couldn’t really have come at worse time. Further opportunities to get people enjoying cricket this summer – especially after England’s poor showing in the football World Cup – slipped through the fingers of the game’s organisers eyeing up money. The novelty of Twenty20 cricket has been ruined by the ECB’s desire to cash-in on its popularity and similarly an overkill on test matches and one day internationals have left grounds three-quarters full instead of packed out.

And all at a time where the national team is playing some of its best cricket.

News yesterday of Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif bowling no-balls, allegedly on the orders of fixer Mazhar Majeed, tears up any interest many people have in the game. Any thought that what happened at Lord’s last week was pre-planned – even if it is only three no-balls – shreds the game apart and further undermines the sport.

Despite allegations and lifetime bans since Hansie Cronje’s match-fixing revelations over a decade ago, cricket was just starting to get over the thought that match-fixing was a part of the game. With people’s trust now subsiding, especially with the allegations surrounding the Pakistani cricket team, it would be completely ridiculous to press ahead with the upcoming one-day international series.

That both international cricket boards want to continue playing this week, no doubt thinking about the financial loss if it doesn’t. The decent thing would be to postpone the series, get to the root of the spot-fixing allegations and restore the integrity in what is being played. Incredibly, the players at the centre of the allegations are set to be a part of the series. What a mockery of the sport it will be when just a week after the sport is dragged through the dirt, the ICC, ECB and PCB will continue as if nothing has happened.

Cricket needs to stop, group together and clobber any hint of corruption. Failure to do so, and the sport will be remembered more for Hansie Cronje than WG Grace and Sir Don Bradman.

In six hours time, England’s elder players will begin ninety minutes of career-defining football. Because for players like Steven Gerrard, John Terry, David James and Frank Lampard this World Cup is a last chance saloon for winning on a global stage. Nothing short of victory will do today – anything less, and England will be sent packing in the first round of a World Cup for the first time since 1958. Unlike then, however, the prospect of winning in eight years time is difficult to imagine – even if England’s bid to host the competition proves successful – as England’s Golden Generation ages.

For Gerrard et al, today is the crunch. England aren’t renowned for playing well under pressure but today they must – it’s inconceivable, no matter how overrated England’s team, and chances of winning, are a first round exit would be catastrophic.

It’s time to stand up and be counted.

Ah, another tournament involving England and another fortnight of hope-dashing performances, disciplinary problems, injuries, tactical quandaries and questions about whether the “Golden Generation” (GG) are actually golden. Or whether they’re actually tin with a cheap gold spray that wears off after 180 minutes of exposure to high altitude. Perhaps the nation should have sealed them in envelopes, sent them to Dale Winton and cashed them in, as their worth has dropped on a par with BP’s share prices in the last week-and-a-half.

“This is our year – 44 years of hurt will fizzle out as our boys arrive back victorious,” people keep saying. Some of the more ludicrous followers say that England drew their first game back in 1966, and indeed drew their first two games in 1990, and were still successful so it’s in the stars and we’re certain to reach the semi-finals this year. The Sun even enlisted the memory of Winston Churchill last Friday to inspire the team to victory. But the GG have failed to perform again – despite the pre-tournament rhetoric of how they’ve failed to live up to expectations in the past, but that now their time has come. Perhaps straw clutching should become our national sport.

England haven’t got the the quality in their first eleven, or in reserve, to challenge the top four teams in this competition. Nor have they got the mental strength. The Premier League is one of the best in the world because of the foreign talent, not because of Messrs Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney, Terry and A. Cole, and therefore a decent domestic league doesn’t translate to a decent national squad. Yes, the qualifying campaign was good, but against footballing minnows Andorra, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Ukraine and Croatia were disposed of, as they should have been, and we’re through to the World Cup. I’d have hoped for a good qualifying campaign out of that – it shouldn’t mean we’re semi-final certainties when the real thing arrives. But the nation, with the help of the English media, builds us up as potential winners and anything short of this is deemed a failure. Cue people calling for Fabio Capello to be replaced in the middle of the World Cup and general anger towards the players and management.

Maybe the nation should lower its expectations of the national team succeeding, instead of clinging onto false hope of it being “1966 all over again”. If we beat Slovenia and progress, then awesome. If we go further, then even better. But this team isn’t a Golden Generation and nor is it one of the best in the world. It is players like Messi, Villa, Torres, Alonso, Tevez, Forlan, Van Persie, Podolski that are worth their weight in gold.

Chelsea and their manager Carlo Ancelotti have backed under-fire defender John Terry and reinforced his position as the club’s captain, despite allegations this weekend of an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, once girlfriend of England and former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge. Ancelotti is quoted as saying: “The players will never lose their trust in him.” Well, why won’t they? The whole episode centres around trust – trust between Terry and his wife Toni, Terry and his then best friend Bridge and Terry and his club, his supporters and the footballing world. Any trust emanating from John Terry is now gone. But trust Chelsea to back their biggest financial asset and one of their highest-paid stars – only a player revolt could turn the club’s scandalous decision around now.

Fabio Capello shouldn’t take any risks on the other hand. Playing for England is a great honour and by captaining your country you have to set the highest standards both on and off the field. Millions idolise the game’s biggest stars and anything of this kind must be punished – in this case by removing the England captaincy. A leader on the field inspires his team to play with passion and desire and play with a team – problems now caused with Wayne Bridge undermines his ability to do this. A leader off the field is an ambassador for the game and for his country – this weekend’s news has a worldwide effect and could prove detrimental to England’s World Cup build-up. Change has to come fast – Terry’s selfishness shouldn’t leave a scar on the rest of the team and only a quick reaction from Capello can limit the damage. The captaincy of England is held in the highest regard – it is far more important than one player.

For all the build up, the opening day didn’t disappoint. And for all the column inches dedicated to comparing both sides, finding key player battles and producing statistics showing one was better than the other, we found that there is nothing more than a blade of Cardiff grass between them. Today was a score-draw, but England had numerous chances to get ahead. Six out of England’s top seven played themselves in, but not one pushed on to get a big score in what was otherwise a solid team showing. The biggest culprit happened to be top-scorer Kevin Pietersen whose reckless sweep may well provide an important signpost come the final day and which side wins. Pietersen’s premeditated paddle clipped his own helmet on its way to Simon Katitch to leave England on an unfulfilling 241-5. His century partnership with Paul Collingwood was incredibly important – take nothing away from him on that basis – but he was so far outside of his off-stump with this swipe that another yard would have taken him into the River Taff. Michael Holding’s said it best: Pietersen has the ability to be a great player, but great players don’t play shots like that.

It would be unfair to focus souly on Pietersen – Strauss, Bopara, Collingwood, Prior and Flintoff all made starts from which one should have made a hundred. But all were set aside from Pietersen because they fell to decent deliveries, especially Prior who was bowled by an arcking inswinger from Peter Siddle. Siddle bowled well, despite his expensive figures, but it was Ben Hilfenhaus who caused the most problems and was unlucky not to take more than two wickets. With a pacey Mitchell Johnson and a decent show from Nathan Hauritz, Australia’s bowlers looked well-oiled but a shadow of the 2005 equivalent. Brett Lee’s presence may well have punished England further today.

Today’s blow-for-blow tussle sets it up nicely for tomorrow. A score of 400 or more, although unlikely, would put England as slight favourites on a pitch that is already friendly to spin and bounce. Australia’s batting line-up have been less than convincing thus far on tour, not least Ricky Ponting who could find his captaincy under review if his poor form continues and England retake the Ashes. Mike Hussey will be England’s prized wicket, despite his indifferent form of late. His knowledge of English conditions ranks alongside Simon Katitch and Marcus North – all of whom have played for a number of county sides – and it is in those three that Australia will hope to post a sizeable response in their first innings. Tomorrow promises to be just as exciting.