Cork claimed that the club had reneged on their promise of complete authority on playing matters and cited the cricket committee's rejection of his recommendations on the composition of the playing staff and a new first-team coach, a position he wanted Kim Barnett to fill.

He also insisted that he would not remain as captain if the former player Harold Rhodes, now a member of the general and cricket committees, and Andy Hayhurst, the former director of cricket, continued to exert influence on cricket matters.

While expressing a ``unanimous wish'' for Cork to continue as captain for many years to come, a statement issued by the committee yesterday disputed his claim to the final say on cricket matters and pointed to ``factual inaccuracies'' in his account of the situation.

The statement also apologised to Rhodes and Hayhurst for the ``adverse comments'' made about them and said that the parameters of the captain's role would be formally laid down before Cork's return from Australia.

Victor Brownett, the chairman, for whom the committee's hawkish response represented a personal defeat, would only add: ``This is the first stage of trying to resolve a very difficult situation.''