Rilee Rossouw would probably do well to keep his phone off, just as it has allegedly been for much of this week, with the country’s cricket bosses trying to get a word with him.
Russell Domingo, the national coach, often been described as meek or mundane, pulled out the mongrel on Thursday afternoon, as he told the world exactly what he thought of Rossouw’s decision to leave South African cricket.
Domingo reminded those who are quick to forget that, right from the beginning, Rossouw was given the sort of backing that not many enjoy at the highest level. After his terrible start - five ducks in his first 10 ODI innings - he was still backed, because the belief was that he could be as good as AB de Villiers.
They believed in him, in a manner that few enjoy.
Rossouw has a nasty habit of picking up injuries every so often, and they always seemed to occur just when he was about to blossom into the player that his CV suggested he could be.
The current selection panel saw fit to back the leftie this year, especially given that De Villiers was on the sidelines. Rossouw was given licence upfront, and his chest swelled at the faith shown in him. Heck, they even dropped Hashim Amla to indulge his ferocious form at the top of the order.
They dropped Amla for him! No player should be undroppable, but a fit and firing Amla fits the bill for those special few who come pretty close to warranting that sort of security. And that is for many reasons, none of them to do with colour, lest the transformation police are on patrol.
The call to put Amla in a bib instead of the field was so divisive, it compelled Faf du Plessis to express his unhappiness on national television. But the selectors did it anyway, so convinced they were that Rossouw was the man.
This is the same guy that they have put through several bouts of injury rehab, and always brought straight back into the national team fold. The same guy that they saw next in line in the Test side, and had already built a large chunk of their white-ball ambitions around.
Regardless of his reasons to depart the South African scene, the manner in which Rossouw handled his departure lacked any class. No call, no messages; just an email that had his coach’s name spelt wrong. Scores of players from the past and present (Hampshire teammate Kyle Abbott included) would kill for the sort of privilege and patience Rossouw has received over the years.
A common denominator that has emerged from the current storm in South African cricket is one Webber van Wyk, the agent in the midst of all these deals. Master Webber seems intent on cooking up a Kolpak storm, and reaping his 10%, come hell or high water.
That is all very well, because every man has a choice. But Webber van Wyk would do well to advise his players to conduct themselves in a manner that is attractive to future employers.
Rossouw is 27 and, as a batsman, will still have plenty of time on the clock left in him once his brand new Kolpak deal is done.
Others, like Jacques Rudolph and Ryan McLaren have come back into the Proteas’ set-up after Kolpak stints. Simon Harmer, who played open cards with Cricket South Africa, is expected to return home a better player in a few years.
Rossouw may feel he has his ducks in a row now, but life and the game have a funny way of evolving, as this very week has proved. He may find that the Protea door is not left ajar, especially if the coach is still Russell Domingo.
And that is Russell with two L’s, not one.