DYNAMIC New Athletics, they billed it. One out of three ain’t bad. An indoor international involving six nations bereft of their brightest and best was never destined to earn five-star reviews at the Emirates Arena, especially when its bill topper, Laura Muir, withdrew due to injury 24 hours before.

The format - track and field’s answer to the hit and giggle of cricket’s T20 – remains a work in progress yet an attempt to compress a full meeting into a two-hour window makes business and broadcasting sense.

Its conclusion with The Hunt, a mixed relay handicapped based on points already accumulated, sought to maintain suspense over the outcome to the very end. However Scotland arrived there in last place, realistically out of the running, and there they stayed. Likewise Spain were uncatchable bar calamity and completed the formalities of victory ahead of England.

DNA, ultimately not really so radical without the bells and whistles that could have been injected. But it is a idea with legs, European Athletics vice-president Cherry Alexander believes.

“We tried it in Minsk outdoors,” she said. “But we had an ambition to try and showcase it indoors. We've got this one, and then it goes to Turkey in 2023. But so many people talk about athletics having more team events, not just at your championship level. This what we're thinking about.

“It was pitched as a Battle of the Nations. We were delighted that Laura wanted to do it, but then unfortunately pulled out because she's injured. But you can see how the representative angle works well.”

Alexander, restored in her events role at UK Athletics, will seek out opportunities to bring major events back to Glasgow which lost the rights to the springtime Indoor Grand Prix to Birmingham last year. The sport requires a proper domestic circuit to match those in France and Italy, she acknowledges.

“Especially that running against people from other countries,” injects Scotland’s captain Alisha Rees, who was third in the 60m. “I don't always get the opportunity for that unless I'm picked for a team. Having a crowd as well, it's good to get used to that.”

Jenny Selman prevailed in a photo finish to claim Scotland’s sole victory in the women’s 800m in 2:04.73. It secured the 30-year-old an unexpected Saturday double at the distance. 30 mins before the event began, she won an invitational time trial to slash her personal best to 2:00.70 and earn the qualifying mark for next month’s world indoors in Belgrade.

“It was a bit crazy,” she acknowledged. “I was supposed to only be doing The Hunt really at the end, which would have given me a bit longer between races. Obviously with Laura pulling out, I got moved up to this race. So I had two races within an hour. I wasn't sure how the second one was going to go. I just thought I'll stick in the group and then see what I've got on the last lap.”

Meanwhile Jake Wightman will go flat out  when he faces fellow Scot Andy Butchart over 3000m at today’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in New York. “I want to just race it and try to win which will be tough,” said Wightman, who set a best of 7:50.97 last month. “But I would love something in the low-7:40s.”