Cricket: Cork dropped for main event

DOMINIC CORK, not so long ago the golden boy of England, has been left out of the World Cup squad. The Derbyshire captain was not named yesterday in the preliminary list of 30 players, which must be reduced to the final 15 by the end of March.

Cork has been omitted following his poor form on the Ashes tour. He started in the team but his away swinger, which made him such a potent force on his initial appearances for England and, briefly, when he returned to the side after 16 months last summer, was rarely in evidence.

The chairman of selectors, David Graveney, said yesterday in Australia where he is managing England in the Carlton & United series: "I am concerned about the situation with his county at present and I think it has probably had an effect on the way his tour has gone." Derbyshire have yet to reappoint Cork as captain and he is displeased with the way in which the county committee have been making their decisions.

Cork was the one prominent omission, though there was no place for Chris Adams of Sussex or Graham Lloyd of Lancashire, both of whom have played recently. There are places both for Gavin Hamilton, who could still end up playing for Scotland, and Ben Smith. Neither has played for England before.

Squad: A Stewart (capt, Surrey), M Alleyne (Gloucs), M Atherton (Lancs), I Austin (Lancs), A Brown (Surrey), D Brown (Warwicks), R Croft (Glam), J Crawley (Lancs), M Ealham (Kent), N Fairbrother (Lancs), A Flintoff (Lancs), M Fleming (Kent), A Fraser (Middx), A Giles (Warwicks), D Gough (Yorks), G Hamilton (Yorks), D Headley (Kent), W Hegg (wkt, Lancs), G Hick (Worcs), A Hollioake (Surrey), B Hollioake (Surrey), N Hussain (Essex), N Knight (Warwicks), D Maddy (Leics), P Martin (Lancs), A Mullally (Leics), M Ramprakash (Middx), B Smith (Leics), G Thorpe (Surrey), V Wells (Leics).