It was supposed to be a great farewell to the ODI career of Ben Stokes.
Instead South Africa and Aiden Markram spoiled the party in the most emphatic of ways to leave fans hot, bothered and disappointed.
A 62-run thrashing continues a miserable white-ball summer for England who look well off the pace as South Africa hit 333-5, their highest score on these shores.
Trapped lbw for just five by Markram’s off spin, Stokes cut a rueful figure as he walked off the field in an ODI shirt for the last time.
He had had a stinker with the ball, conceding 44 from his five overs, and if anything he looked tired and sore, with his left knee clearly giving him some serious discomfort.
But with 209 needed from 26 overs when Stokes walked out to bat, the stage was set for another magical evening in his storied career.
The ground rose as one to acclaim their home grown hero who had been nurtured and developed by the North East and was now leaving this form of the game for good.
This was a moment to cherish, and as he pushed Keshav Maharaj down the ground for an easy single first ball, he looked focused on the job in hand, but as soon as he tried something different - a reverse sweep - it cost him, just as it did against India at Lord’s.
Joe Root implored him to use a review to try and prolong his stay, but he knew in his heart that he was out, just as he knew his time playing ODI cricket was done and dusted last Thursday.
There was no point trying to fight it, and even at the last he was still putting the team first, refusing to burn a second review after Jonny Bairstow had snatched the first.
Perhaps Stokes understood better than anyone that you don’t really get a fairytale finish unless you are one of the very lucky ones like Sir Alastair Cook.
Most leave on a bit of a low, as was the case for Eoin Morgan who took a pair of ducks against the Netherlands into retirement with him.
Morgan already looks rather settled with a microphone in his hand these days and one would imagine that Stokes will come alive again once he is back in the warm embrace of the Test team and a bit more ‘Bazball’.
Another defeat is clearly not what skipper Jos Buttler nor the fans had in mind as they suffered in the sunshine on the hottest ever day in the UK.
As the temperature ticked over 37 degrees it was too much for several fans who either left the ground or took refuge behind the stands. It was too much for Matthew Potts on his debut too as he bowled four overs and then left the field with heat exhaustion.
For those that stayed put, they were rewarded with a smart hundred from Rassie van der Dussen who had taken England down at the T20 World Cup and proved his quality again with 134 from 117 balls.
When England came to bat it was all about Root’s 86 as it so often is, with Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy again putting on a century stand for a record 14th time.
There was a moment of concern when Andile Phehlukwayo’s chin connected with Maharaj’s shoulder in a fielding mix-up, but he walked off and was subbed out of the game with concussion.
