Cricket, arguably sports most gentlemanly and lovable game, this weekend has been attacked by the menaces of undercover betting cons.

As was well documented in Sunday’s sensationalist piece of investigative journalism in the News of the World suggesting scam fixer Mazhar Majeed made and agreed a £140’000 pound pact with the tabloid to pre arrange a set of ‘no balls’ to be bowled by members of the Pakistani team in the tourists final Test Match of the summer against England, at of all places, Lords - The spiritual ‘Home of Cricket’.

The alleged pre-planned schedule of three ‘no balls’ to be delivered at precise times in three separate over’s by Pakistani bowlers, were perfectly played out on the Lords outfield during England’s first innings which matches up water tight to the newspaper’s secret undercover video throwing up the meticulous know-how exude by the guilty parties involved.

In what was a special day to be a cricket follower, watching the fantastic batting partnership of English duo Jonathon Trott and Stuart Broad secure a record partnership, few will now remember this Test for cricketing reasons. As many, who piped up hundreds of pounds for tickets, probably left Lords, thinking is what we have just witnessed real sport? Or gamesmanship at its lowest ebb.

Quite how long it will take the Metropolitan Police and the various cricketing authorities to get to the sticking points of the matter are anyone’s guess, but what should remain certain is that the guilty players engaged should receive a life ban.

Whilst, watching the cricketing coverage yesterday, it was spoke of how the fanatical cricketing following in countries like Pakistan open up opportunities to players to be lavished with gifts, money and gratitude from members of the adoring public, hence loosening their barriers if you like of the access gained to them. This has given scope for alleged betting scams and conmen of the highest order to work themselves into the frameworks of one of the globes most popular sports.

In a game I love and enjoy, seeing the integrity of cricket taken apart as it has been over the past couple of days leave a bitter pill to swallow for many supporters of the sport. Let’s just hope the creed and game destroyers can soon be found out, because there are just too many in modern day sport.