In the end - perhaps as expected - Reeza Hendricks played no part in the Proteas' failed T20 World Cup campaign because of, essentially, being outranked.
That was the admission made by national selection convener Victor Mpitsang, who noted that the whole saga was highly "unfortunate".
In fact, the issue had dogged South Africa's assault even before the tournament started as captain Temba Bavuma's form never improved, exacerbated by an unfortunate illness picked up in the ODI series against India.
Meanwhile, Hendricks seized his chance earlier in the year to finish with 323 runs in just seven innings at a superb strike rate of 140, which included a Man of the Series award against England, the eventual world champions.
Regardless of the merit of the Proteas' eventual selection strategy, it must be stated that the party line has remained consistent.
"At the end of the day we had the captain that was there and we had to give him the best possible chance [to find form and make an impact]," said Mpitsang.
"It was unfortunate that Reeza didn't play."
As it turned out, Bavuma only played one innings of substance, a beguiling 19-ball 36 against Pakistan.
Mpitsang didn't shy away from noting his contributions with the bat was inadequate, but believes Bavuma added value in other areas.
"Yes, we would have liked Temba to have contributed a little bit more, but the role that he plays on the field is just as big and the role as leader was severe as well," he said.
"So it's unfortunate for Reeza to have missed out, but those were the calls we had to make."
With the Proteas' T20 commitments done for the year, Bavuma's output will read 134 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of just 95.