If Australia was being investigated by the ICC anti-corruption unit this week for being 0/5 after two overs against Zimbabwe (a match they ended up winning comfortably, incidentally), one wonders what that guardian of the sport's morals will make of England's performance at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru this morning.

For Andrew Strauss's men, having knocked up a more-than-respectable 327, dismissed the Irish captain Will Porterfield with the first ball of the Irish innings, had the part-timers at 2-76 from 15 overs and then 5-111 - to have the match apparently well in hand. Yet another World Cup walkover looked to be on the cards.

Enter the heroic figure of Kevin O'Brien who, like some knight wielding his excalibur, smote the English attack to all points of the ground, smashing the fastest century in World Cup cricket - off just 50 balls - before eventually being run out for 113 off 63 deliveries.

In the end, Ireland had five balls to spare in reeling in the target of 328, the highest successful run chase in the tournament's history.

By any measure it was one of sport's great recent upsets and the biggest shock at cricket's World Cup since ..... the last World Cup four years ago.

Then, during the tournament held in the West Indies, the Irish conjured up another stunning performance to dismiss Pakistan for 132, and make 7/133 in reply.

Immediately, the suspicious nature of the result gave rise to speculation about corruption and match fixing. Pakistan bowled out for 132 - to Ireland? It was an almost Pavlovian response: Pakistan involved in a strange defeat = something fishy afoot.

The conspiracy theories were only fanned the following day when Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room. Jamaican police performed an autopsy which was deemed inconclusive. He was later said to have been strangled before finally the authorities decided on death by natural causes.

It was a crazy time in which speculation swirled and rumours raged. And allegations of match-fixing were thick on the ground.

Witness this report in The Age in March 2007:

Respected former New Zealand Test captain and international match referee, John Reid, suspects Pakistan's cricket World Cup loss against Ireland was a case of match-fixing.

Following the stunning loss on March 18 which saw Pakistan exit the World Cup, coach Bob Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious in his hotel room.

Reid said on TV One's CloseUp program on Tuesday night that after Pakistan's three-wicket loss: "... Immediately I had suspicions."

"I've been a (match) referee at other World Cups in 1999 when Pakistan were beaten by Bangladesh and in 2003 when Sri Lanka were beaten by Kenya," Reid said.

"They are three very suspicious matches."

Now we know Pakistan have form in this regard - three of its players are now serving lengthy bans for spot-fixing - but it is interesting to note the different reactions to the two results.

In fact, in many ways, the England defeat was - on the surface - more suspicious than the Pakistan one. At least the Pakistanis were sent in on a raging greentop where even the modestly-talented Irish attack could make the ball talk.

And England aided the Ireland run chase today by fluffing at least four catches. Strauss dropped O'Brien on 91, Jimmy Anderson had half a chance to catch Ed Joyce at mid-wicket, wicketkeeper Matt Prior spilled a high, swirling chance, and Anderson (again) parried a big hit from Niall O'Brien off Graeme Swann for six over the long off boundary.

Suspicious, or what? So where are the allegations of 'fix', the cries of 'corrupt'?

This is the thing about match-fixing, spot-fixing and any sort of dirty dealing in sport. It's often very difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff, the genuine upset result from the contrived collusion.

I don't for one moment think England threw the match. But we see events through the prism of our own pre-conceived notions and prejudices, just as the ICC investigators do. And sometimes that makes for very distorted viewing.