For Alex Bogdanovic, this has to be last Davis Cup orders. On his fifth appearance in the competition, against Austria on Wimbledon's No1 Court next month, the 24-year-old has to step up and repay the faith that has been shown in him repeatedly to carry the colours successfully in a match of meaning.

It is, to tell the brutal truth, because the Great Britain captaincy does not believe that there is anyone else capable of winning a rubber in the World Group qualifier from September 19 to 21 that Bogdanovic, who has not won a set in four live rubbers, has been given the nod. John Lloyd, the captain, talked of a possible plan B in terms of team selection, but would be tempted any further. Plan A needs to work.

Bogdanovic joins Andy and Jamie Murray and Ross Hutchins in the four-man team that will be augmented by a couple of junior players on whom Britain are pinning their hopes of future prosperity. Although these picks will not be determined necessarily by performances in the US Open boys' event next week, the prospects of Marcus Willis, Dan Smethurst, Neil Pauffley and Dan Cox will be enhanced by a few eye-catching wins.

What we would not give for that from Bogdanovic. Against Lleyton Hewitt, the Wimbledon champion at the time, in his first rubber, in Sydney in 2003, through a couple of laboured displays against Noam Okun, of Israel, to Agustin Calleri in Buenos Aires in February, Bogdanovic has striven but been unable to breast the tape. Lloyd and Paul Annacone, on his debut as the Britain coach, accept that they are taking something of a risk.

A popular alternative would have been Chris Eaton, who demonstrated at Wimbledon this year an ability not only to negotiate the qualifying competition in a flurry of aces, but went on to win his first-round match - something that Bogdanovic has not done in seven appearances - and did not look fazed by the prospect. That quality makes the difference between a successful Davis Cup player and one who would rather be anywhere else than in the team.

Bogdanovic's inability to qualify for the main draw here meant the end of his partnership with Brad Gilbert, the American coach who spent the last months of his employment at the LTA trying to work his skills on the left-hander. Gilbert said of him this week: “He is a great kid who has had a lot of weight on his shoulders because I was coaching him. My goal was to get him in the top 100, but I never claimed to be a magician. You can only coach as good as your subject. I can't take some guy who is 100 and make him No1 if the capabilities are not there. [Andy] Roddick had the capabilities. So did [Andre] Agassi. Alex has the capabilities to be a top 75 player and I am confident he can get to that level.” He is No172 at present.

In a brave attempt at straw-clutching, Annacone said that he saw signs of a breakthrough in Bogdanovic's play in the final game of a set he lost 6-0 to Lukas Rosol, of the Czech Republic, in an ATP challenger event in the Bronx before the US Open. “Alex played a very good returning game that lasted longer than the rest of the set and although he lost it, he won the second set 6-1 and I think that 12 months ago, he might have lost the match love and two [He ended up losing it 6-0, 1-6, 6-3],” Annacone said. “I saw some good signs.”

The doubles choice, as ever, will have a crucial bearing on the outcome of the tie. Jamie Murray's first-round loss with Max Mirnyi here to Michal Mertinak and Lovro Zovko, which may put a further strain on their partnership, was hardly the news that the captain had expected to hear.