``Personal'' reasons were cited for Cork's request to opt out only a few days before England's departure on Monday. The Test and County Cricket Board said he would not be replaced.
Allowing a player to join a tour at the halfway stage - in this case, for the New Zealand leg in early January - might in the past have been regarded as an unwelcome precedent in the absence of injury or family illness.
It has been more usual for players to opt out for domestic reasons before tour selection, not after, and the extent of Cork's personal crisis caught England's management by surprise.
The Derbyshire all-rounder's reasons for dropping out of the tour were not elaborated upon, but problems with his wife, Jane, are at the heart of the issue.
John Barclay, the tour manager, said there had been no suggestion at the England training camp in Portugal a fortnight ago that Cork would seek to withdraw.
``In a way it was unexpected,'' Barclay said. ``I think a lot of people had known that Dominic had a few personal problems. We didn't talk about it at length in Portugal and we were hopeful arrangements would be suitable and peace of mind reached.''
``In the final week the tide has moved fairly swiftly and we all wish him well. I'm absolutely certain this is the right way to proceed, from his point of view and the whole problem's point of view.''
Any connection with England's decision to discourage the presence of women on tour - even over Christmas in Harare was officially discounted yesterday, but it would be surprising if that was not a factor. It would certainly not help reconcile a family with a child involved.
Cork, 25, said in a statement yesterday: ``I have some personal matters that need to be resolved and I need some time to do it. I was looking forward to going to Zimbabwe but I feel I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my cricket until I have resolved my personal problems. I'm grateful to the Board for letting me stay in England and I look forward to joining the team and playing in New Zealand.''
Graham Thorpe will be another player missing from the flight to Harare because his wife, Nicky, gave birth to a son last Wednesday. The Surrey batsman will join up with the tour party next Thursday.
Robert Croft, the Glamorgan off-spinner, will probably have to leave without his full kit, which was stolen from his car during indoor net practice at Neath. The stolen items included two England sweaters.
With Cork, the England management have proved sensitive to their best player's feelings but they will have to ensure that the concession does not compromise David Lloyd's disciplined regime.
Cork would have been crucial to England's hopes of beating a country like Australia. His extended absence might have been tolerated less readily if Zimbabwe had not been the destination.
The trip will give other bowlers such as Darren Gough, Andrew Caddick and Chris Silverwood a better chance of joining Alan Mullally in the first-choice seam attack.
Troubled marriages have been relatively common in professional cricket, where players leave home for weeks at a time during the nomadic summer season and for months on winter tours, which affects the best players, especially.
Four years ago Graham Gooch reluctantly agreed to tour India and he flew to Delhi as captain just as news of his marital separation was breaking. It could not have helped his frame of mind and, indeed, his tour proved to be unsuccessful.
England are banking on Cork arriving in New Zealand with a clear mind, ready and willing to build on his phenomenal start in Test cricket - 67 wickets in only 16 matches.
His predicament mocks the euphoria of his Test debut last year, when his bowling destroyed the West Indies at Lord's, with his wife present to share his triumph and his proud, tearful mother watching the match on television at home with twoyear-old grandson Gregory on her lap.