The day before England started the fourth Test against South Africa in Centurion one of their greatest ever batsmen decided to captain his boyhood county.
Ian Bell's omission from the squad to South Africa was a shock despite the 33-year-old's torrid run of form - scoring just 428 runs in the 23 innings after his last hundred against the West Indies. So was being bowled for a duck by Shoaib Malik his last act in Test cricket?
Well, recent developments would suggest so. If Bell really believed that he had a chance at earning a recall then he would not have decided to take the Warwickshire captaincy, despite tweeting that: "This appointment does in no way alter my overwhelming desire and ambition to earn my place back in the England Test side."
The last thing a county side would want is their captain being made unavailable due to international selection after just being appointed. Varun Chopra relinquished the role because he wanted to focus on his batting, and it would be unlikely for him to takeover on an interim basis whilst Bell was on international duty, with Rikki Clarke the only other adequate alternative.
Leading a county is not for the faint hearted. It is a day in day out responsibility no matter who you are.
Is he needed?
England have an exciting new-look Test side, and have just toppled the number two ranked side in the world - India leapfrogged the Proteas after the latters' defeat to the Three Lions in the third Test at the Wanderers - so where would he fit in?
Nick Compton has recently returned to the side at first drop and has looked assured in his role with scores of 85, 49 and 45 in his first three innings on the tour - scoring just 41 in the next three. But it would be a change in policy to give the Somerset man just one series to prove himself, especially after being handed a second chance.
Bell's favoured position of number four has been cemented by Joe Root, who is widely regarded as the best thing in English cricket since sliced bread. And Bell would not want to return at six - where he started his Test career.
The only places up for grabs would be Alex Hales' opening spot or James Taylor's number five. Taylor has only scored two fifties in his opening six Tests but is definitely one for the future at the age of just 26 - with 20 First-Class tons to his name already.
Early season in England
If Bell is to stake a claim then he is going to need to score a mountain of runs in the opening few weeks of the season before Sri Lanka arrive for their three-Test tour, and hope somebody suffers a severe loss of form or gets injured. No-one likes to see a fellow professional miss out due to injury, but it may be the only way England's eight-highest run-scorer can add to his tally.
But it will not be easy with conditions in April and May not condusive to Bell's majestic strokeplay. And even Kevin Pietersen failed to force his way back into the side despite smashing an unbeaten 355 for Surrey - although that was more due to backroom politics than cricketing ability.
Bayliss' u-turn
It is hard to know where Bell stands in the eyes of the selectors. Coach Trevor Bayliss stated during the Pakistan series that Bell's experience was needed now more than ever going forward and then proceeded to drop him from his squad to South Africa. Maybe it was so he could recharge his batteries and get the hunger for international cricket back, but the likely scenario is that his England career has sadly come to an end.
Bell's accolades
A 11-year Test career, 118 matches, 22 hundreds, over seven thousand runs, five Ashes wins and a MBE are certainly not to be sniggered at. Maybe a bitter end, and not the way he would have wanted to leave the international stage, but we will never forget his crisp timing, beautiful cover drives, or stunning dabs behind backward point.
