``It is on record that I have supported Dominic and I accept that he has a genuine grievance,'' said Brownett after walking out midway through yesterday's meeting. ``In my efforts to keep him, I have not had the backing of the full committee and there is now a strong chance that two or three of our best players could be forced out, which is unacceptable.

``The product here is cricket and all my efforts have been aimed at creating the strongest team possible. But others on the committee appear to be working to a different agenda.''

Brownett, who became chairman in the aftermath of another crisis when Dean Jones quit as captain in 1997, has tried in vain to end a dispute which arose in September when Cork failed to have his recommendations on playing matters accepted by the cricket committee, despite an improvement in the team's form.

The four-day game between England A and Mashonaland in Harare was abandoned yesterday due to rain. The teams will attempt to play two one-day games today and tomorrow.

India yesterday excluded Navjot Sidhu and Ajay Jadeja from a 14-member squad for the Test against Pakistan beginning in Madras at the end of this month. Selectors included two new faces, all-rounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla and opener Sandagoppan Ramesh.

India: *M Azharuddin, S R Tendulkar, S Ganguly, R S Dravid, V V S Laxman, J Srinath, -N R Mongia, H Singh, S Joshi, S Ramesh, H H Kanitkar, L R Shukla, B K V Prasad, A Kumble.