The first four picked themselves and a fifth name, either James Auckland or Ross Hutchins, will today be added to the Davis Cup party that heads to Argentina next month for a world group first round tie from which everyone will emerge bigger and stronger men.

Andy and Jamie Murray, Jamie Baker and Alex Bogdanovic form the core of the British team, a beguiling mix of brilliance, resolution and naivety, though to suggest these components will be enough to win the day over one of the favourites to lift the trophy this year, one would require a diploma in optimism. John Lloyd, the Great Britain captain, recoiled when it was put to him that his side had nothing to lose. “That’s a cop-out,” he said.

Nevertheless, Lloyd knows from first hand experience what effect on visiting sides it can have playing in front of crowds that do not attend these ties for a picnic and a sport of sedentary flag-waving. He remembers an incident in 1975 when Roger Taylor, having lost the final rubber in the fifth set to Spain’s Manuel Orantes in Barcelona, leapt a fence to confront one supporter who had been barracking him. Such was the melee later that Lloyd, who was on the substitute’s bench, ducked a punch that was aimed for him which caught John Feaver, his team-mate, flush on the chin.

No one is saying that a repetition is expected at the Parque Roca stadium in Buenos Aires from February 8-10 but the Argentine fans have a reputation for combustability. Lloyd says he wants a strong referee; the ITF have given the tie to Javier Moreno, a Spaniard who has long been a gold badge official, though he tended towards the hear-no-evil, see-no-evil, speak-no-evil manner when he was a chair umpire.

What the captain wants more is strong personalities in his side. He has no doubts about Baker, who qualified for the Australian Open at the weekend, on that score. Where he would like re-assurance is in the state of mind of Bogdanovic, who flew from here having failed to qualify and lost in the first round of an ATP Challenger on green clay in Miami yesterday.

From there, the British No.2 came half way back to Australia, for a tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii, from where he will spin back around and head to the squad’s pre-tie training base in Santiago, Chile. “It’s a results game, “Lloyd said, “and currently, Jamie Baker is getting the results.” Lloyd is not sure where or when Andy Murray - who has remained here for the past three days to train - will be teaming up with the party there but does not doubt that, whenever he pulls on the British colours, he will be relishing the challenge ahead.