The sponsors’ backdrop was missing and the champagne spray parked but at the end of a rapid-fire Test decider, played out to a backdrop of national mourning in which English cricket struck the right tone, Ben Stokes smiled with satisfaction as he was presented with the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy.
A crowd of 5,000 had pitched up to the Oval to watch just 25 minutes of cricket in watery September sunshine as England sealed a nine-wicket victory over South Africa, and with it a 2-1 series victory.
After Ollie Pope had duffed his attempt to scoop the winning runs a la Joe Root earlier in the summer, Zak Crawley punched Marco Jansen through cover for four to move to an unbeaten 69 and complete an inevitable chase of 130.
Gone was the incredulity on the face of Stokes when bad light halted his side’s victory charge the evening before with just 30 required.