Edwards: Hot favourite for world indoor title

Max Jones, performance director for UK Athletics, explained, "This is a hard sport."

"You have to pick objectively, and Daniel Caines and Mark Hylton were the two best athletes on the circuit, so Jamie just missed out.

"He will be a great captain and he is integral to our 4x400m team."

Britain's other reigning indoor world champions, Colin Jackson and Ashia Hansen, miss out through injury.

Totally relaxed

However Olympic triple-jump gold medallist Jonathan Edwards will be there to spearhead the British challenge.

"Since my Olympic victory I am totally relaxed whenever and wherever I have competed," said Edwards.

"I'm surprised how well I have jumped this year.

"I feel it is because, after winning Olympic gold, I am just enjoying myself.

"But I never have, and never will underestimate my opponents."

The three-day meeting in Portugal starts on 9 March with Edwards set to jump four hours before the opening ceremony.

Christian Malcolm wins the European Indoors

But the Gateshead Harrier, who finished sixth when he last competed at the championships in 1993, said the early start will not bother him.

He has four successive victories under his belt this year, including a jump of 17.64m - the best indoor mark in the world over the last three years.

World decathlon silver medallist Dean Macey has been forced to withdraw from the heptathlon with a slight hamstring pull.

But Christian Malcolm will compete in both the 60m and 200m sprints.

The 21-year-old is the fastest man in the world this year over the longer distance, and took the European Indoor title in Ghent last year.

He takes the place of John Skeete in the 60m, after the Scot tested positive last week for the banned anabolic steroid stanozol.