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It is said there's a first time for everything.

And while cricketers travelling to Sri Lanka have not been known to be injured in past upheavals in the country it does not mean that it won't happen this time when the West Indies tour.

Initially the security officials in Sri Lanka stated they could not guarantee the safety of the West Indies team in early December during that country's general election which has a history of violence.

Even so, should we expose our players to this risk?. Should their safety be put in peril in such a volatile situation?

Whatever money is at stake can't be put ahead of players' safety.

This is clear without any form of compromise. We know that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has threatened to penalise teams who don't keep commitments.

But of course there are always special circumstances which must be considered when punishment for an offence comes into play.

If by chance the West Indies had decided not to go to Sri Lanka for security reasons the ICC would have a very recent precedent by which to judge the action of the West Indies Cricket Board.

New Zealand postponed their trip to Pakistan in the face of the terrorist attacks on the United States.

There was real justification here and the ICC understood and has since sought to reschedule that series.

I believe the same discretion should be extended to the West Indies if they had chosen to withdraw from the tour.

Lest we forget too the players were always a bit sceptical about going to Sri Lanka anyway with the tensions on the sub-continent arising out of the United States reprisals against Afghanistan.

It's been said these developments won't disrupt life in Sri Lanka, and while that maybe true where are the guarantees?

Whoever thought terrorists would have had the gumption to attack the mighty America from within?

That alone tells us we are definitely living in times when we have to expect the unexpected.

But in any event I think we have been forewarned in this instance that violence seems likely to be part of the Sri Lankan elections and despite belated assurances that the West Indies would not have anything to worry about before or after the elections I still think it's a risk not worth taking.

All the signs indicate to me that it's the financial factors that are being prioritise in this issue, but in these specific circumstances I believe it has to be health before wealth.

© The Barbados Nation