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And so begins the revolution. Well, possibly. Andy Flower’s removal from the position of England team director is the physical manifestation of the head-scratching and accusation throwing which has been all the rage since Australia’s victory in Sydney a few weeks ago.
It had been rumoured, it had been encouraged in some quarters and it had been deemed essential by others and now it is fact.
Talk of having to start with a clean slate will now morph into actually having to do the same and so ends a period Flower can take a great deal of credit for.
Until everyone realises there was actually a consistent run of success prior to the Ashes loss, Flower’s reign will be judged as one that fell apart in dramatic style but that would be harsh.
The charge of complacency was put towards the tourists in Australia but the same could be said for those doing the watching and judging.
The 5-0 scoreline was starkly highlighted and made to look all the worse by what had gone before and the almost unprecedented superiority over the old enemy.
Players, supporters, journalists and pundits, so unused to a glass that was close to overflowing, found the mauling difficult to stomach and all too readily did the calls for change arrive.
A regime that had become stale and robotic, selections that were poorly considered and a team that assumed just turning up would be enough to warrant victory – any of that sound familiar?
Whether or not any of that is applicable, Flower put that team into a lofty position where mud was inevitably going to be thrown and his legacy should be one of stabilising a mess and restoring sanity before delivering in spades.
Three Ashes wins will occupy the prime position on his CV, and so they should, but a series victory in India and a World Twenty20 crown deserve a mention.
And all of this was the result of a methodical and thoughtful operator with an immense drive to succeed.
The style of play his team served up, while not to the taste of everybody, was the mirror image of Flower the cricketer.
Efficient, pragmatic and in it for the long haul would be the best way to sum it up and for a long time it was mightily effective.
There is a school of thought that a coach has a certain shelf life and, like those he controls, an end has to come sometime.
It seems fairly symbolic that Flower’s time came to a close while his side’s method, and some of its personnel who prospered under his command, was proven to have ran its course but that is just the way sport is, and always will be.
English cricket has a lot to thank Flower for and he can walk away with his chest out and his head held high.
So where now for England?
Such a high profile position will attract all and sundry but those in charge would be foolish to rush into an appointment.
A forest fire is deemed to be a necessity to allow regeneration and complete inaction was never going to be an option and nor should it have been.
There has been plenty of talk regarding the end of an era for the England side, with the Ashes debacle emphatically emphasising the point, but if there was any remaining doubt, Flower’s exit should put that to bed.