It never rains but it pours. That was the message from Charles van Commenee as he named the Great Britain team for the World Championships in Berlin next month. Injuries have ravaged the squad, dented expectation and left the Dutchman pondering the toughness of his new charges.

“I have been scared to pick up the phone lately,” he said in reference to the frequent injury bulletins. Bad things have been happening and he has been left wondering if there is something in the air. “I was walking in Hyde Park and suddenly the hailstones come out of the air and five minutes later there is a storm,” he said.

The team bore no real surprises. Paula Radcliffe is included but is likely to make a decision on whether she will compete next week. Van Commenee said the prospects of her being fit are more than 50 per cent, but few would be shocked if she pulls out and saves herself for the New York Marathon. Christine Ohuruogu, Britain’s solitary world champion, is also included, despite a hamstring problem. Van Commenee admitted he would not be surprised if there were further withdrawals from the 60-strong squad.

Dwain Chambers not only made it but will run at both 100 and 200 metres. In truth, now that common sense is the default setting when it comes to selection, that was never an issue. Indeed, the real dilemma came in the women’s 1500 metres where Hannah England was the unlucky athlete to miss out. Lisa Dobriskey, fourth in the Olympic final, and Steph Twell, three times the European Junior Cross-Country champion, got the nod. England, ultimately, missed out because she only met the qualifying standard once, despite beating Twell at Crystal Palace on Sunday in what she termed a run-off. By a quirk of timing, the three will race again tonight in Monaco.

Van Commenee has set a target of five medals, based on the fact Britain got that many two years ago in Osaka, but it looks a tall order. Where will they come from? Jessica Ennis will be among the favourites in the heptathlon, while Phillips Idowu will be likewise in the triple jump. After that the individual chances rest on injuries and long shots, but include Radcliffe, Ohuruogu, Dobriskey, Germaine Mason in the high jump and possibly someone in-form from leftfield such as Jemma Simpson in the 800 metres.

Andy Baddeley might be added to that list if he gets over his injury problems and proves his fitness by August 8th. Even adding the relays five medals is what Van Commenee’s predecessor, Dave Collins, would have called “a stretch target.”

However, as the pessimists gather, it is worth remembering that few expected anything from Osaka two years ago. The solo medals there came from two events, the 400 metres and the heptathlon, and there was no individual male medal-winner. Beating those grubby statistics should not be beyond this team even with the rain and hail.