If Iain Kennedy, Pete Steindl and Andy Tennant had not got the message across before now, its impact will be visible in the faces of four known Scotland internationals next time you see them.

The selectors have bared their teeth, and the Saltires' 2010 campaign will be more interesting as a result.

Fraser Watts, Qasim Sheikh, Simon Smith and Jan Stander will have inked three key dates in May in their diaries this spring. They probably didn't expect to spend those days with clubmates, friends or family, without a Clydesdale Bank 40 logo in sight.

None of the four was named on Wednesday in the most innovative Saltires selection since the nickname was created in 2003.

Why is this surprising? Because Watts was named one of two vice-captains last summer and delivered a victory over Kent; because Sheikh and Smith are on summer contracts; because Stander had hitherto been treated as a godsend, as a bowler who can bat at six. The revolving door will spin for as long as it takes for Scotland to get back where they should be.

In come Freddie Coleman (for Watts), Omer Hussain (for Sheikh), Neil Laidlaw (for Stander) and Marc Petrie (for Smith). Barely 80 years between them, and just four innings against county professionals (Hussain is responsible for all four, and his first resulted in a half-century at The Oval before reality set in).

There is no shame in admitting that Kennedy's panel have pulled the rug from under us. We fully expected Carlton signing Preston Mommsen, newly qualified after moving from South Africa in his last year of school, to be parachuted straight in and Coleman's inclusion is therefore a pleasing coup for development staff.

The 18-year-old opener is the first Penicuik product to join the senior ranks since John Blain and has been tipped for stardom since scoring 125 not out in the first match of a Scotland under-15 tour of South Africa three years ago. How he plays the short ball will soon determine whether he is ready for this elevation - look how quickly Afghanistan's weakness was rumbled this week.

Geography and modern newspaper economics - it's a long story - prevent me from knowing anything at all about Laidlaw, but I have always imagined that the regional leagues of England must be peppered with players born in Scotland, and the York all-rounder has timed his discovery - by none other than Jim Love - very well. A four-pronged seam attack has effectively vanished since the World Cup Qualifier 13 months ago.

For all the unknowns contained in those two selections, Hussain's recall is no less of a punt. There are only so many times a player can be hailed as the panacea for our perennial problems with middle-order inertia, and Hussain has been rejected as many times than he has been identified for greatness.

Should we be weary and cynical about the return of the Ferguslie powerhouse? Well, perhaps the difference is the cricketer now being bestowed with trust is a 25-year-old grown man with a career in engineering. And if he finds his feet at last, the destructive left-hander might never look back.

Petrie's promotion above Smith is encouraging and demoralising, if that's possible. The demotion of the contracted 'Smudger', a man impossible to dislike, will not be greeted anywhere with pleasure but it has been coming. His glovework at the World Twenty20 Qualifiers was scratchy and unless he can turn into Matt Prior overnight, keeping the wicket clean will be his fundamental mandate for selection.

Petrie, a 20-year-old from the fertile grounds of Arbroath United, worked tidily against Australia and now gets some prolonged on-the-job training. The only worry is the lack of a wicket-keeping mentor in the coaching team to talk him through the ups and downs.

As for the fallen, the chairman of selectors has a clear message. "Fraser is fully fit," said Kennedy, who was capped six times in the early 1980s. "Qasim Sheikh we feel is a little bit underdone after his wedding and honeymoon - he is not quite there at the moment and hopefully he will get back there very quickly.

"Simon is another one who is maybe not performing as we would like at the moment. Marc Petrie has had a very good start to the year and he is in because of his own form more than because of Simon's.

"Whether you have a contract or not doesn't make an awful lot of difference," he added, forcefully. "We have the opportunity to contract players so we do, but it doesn't put people ahead of anybody else.

"We are trying to get to the stage in one-day games where we have more hard-hitting batsmen at the top of the order. Omer was identified a number of years ago as someone like that and he hasn't really lived up to it. Now he is going to get the chance to."

We have seen bold selections before, and David Loudon's last as chairman, for the South African debacle last year, blew up in Steindl's face. But one big conservative choice was made this week, too.

Ryan Watson, dropped for the first time in February when he failed to summon the old fire for Twenty20 combat, has retained his place in the Saltires squad after looking good in the regional trials. We can only hope that the old warrior's form, like his class, is not temporary.

Possible team v Leicestershire, Grace Road, May 16: G Hamilton, R Watson, G Bailey, R Berrington, O Hussain, N McCallum, N Laidlaw, G Drummond, M Haq, M Petrie, G Goudie.

Reserves: M Parker, R Lyons, F Coleman.