The twists and turns of the sponsorship dispute now featuring the Lucky Commission could turn the weak of heart into suicidal maniacs.

But as we know, even at the darkest hour there can be a sudden spark to brighten lives.

And surely, all well-thinking Caribbean cricket people would have smiled with the news that the West Indies Cricket Board has decided to formally remove barriers to cricketers switching national allegiances within the region.

As the WICB itself pointed out, the decision reflects the CARICOM Single Market and Economy which allows for free movement of skills in certain categories, including sportsmen and women, within the CARICOM region. Like most things to do with regional integration, it's long overdue.

One accepts that there won't be a big rush of players crossing borders to begin with. Nationalism and the strong, often unreasoning rivalry between our small nations won't allow for easy transformation. But gradually, a change of mindset will take place - allowing a young cricketer unable to make his own national team but good enough to play for another territory, to make the switch.

In the past, Caribbean cricketers have changed territorial teams simply because they migrated - triggered very often by employment and marriage. Currently, Ricardo Powell and Adam Sanford are two such. And in the past, a number of top cricketers, among them Frank Worrell, Clyde Walcott, Teddy Griffith, Wes Hall, Shane Julien . to name a few, have also crossed borders. They are real pioneers.

But now we expect to see a new dimension. Cricketers will be switching allegiance because it's the easiest way to play top level cricket and by extension get an opportunity to play for the West Indies.

Also and very importantly, players will be moving base because of the promise of monetary and other material rewards. It's a tantalizing thought as we approach the inevitable and very crucial "professionalisation" of West Indies cricket.

Now more than ever, it seems to me, regional boards will have to keep an eye out for the interests of their players, lest they lose them to a rival. Selectors, too, will have an added responsibility weighing all aspects before they make their final choices.

Of course, the selector's job is tough. Not least, because in cricket most of us have our own ideas about who should or shouldn't be there. That's undoubtedly the case again as cricket watchers pore over the 28-man Jamaica training squad named by Ruddy Williams and his selectors for the upcoming regional one-day tournament.

For me, a huge surprise was the omission of the 20 year-old Clarendon left-arm swing bowler and powerful lower order batsman Krishmar Santokie. Five years ago, when Santokie helped West Indies win the Costcutter under-15 tournament in England, his all-round qualities were seen as ideal for the one-day game. He has progressed considerably since then and was a reserve for the Jamaica Carib Beer squad for the first-class season earlier this year.
From all accounts, he has done very well in the club leagues in England thus far this season. How is it then, that he is unable to make a 28-man training squad?

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