It swooped well under a radar that has been focused on the events in South Africa.

But Kevin Pietersen has decided to leave his county at the end of the season.

Apparently he is homesick because they play too far away from his wife and new baby. He lives in Chelsea, south-west London – he did play, occasionally, for Hampshire.

Commute from house to the County Ground in Southampton? About an hour down the motorway.

Hardly the best argument against those who claim our top sportsmen are going soft.

But no, KP wants to go somewhere a bit nearer. Presumably that means Surrey or Middlesex; unless he’s talking about Chelsea invitational thirds on a Sunday afternoon.

Hampshire are not unduly bothered about losing their superstar name at the end of the summer. His playing record for them would match Lord Lucan.

Pietersen’s fleeting appearance in a twenty20 win over Surrey last week was his first in over two years.

Since signing from Nottinghamshire in 2004, he played only seven County Championship games. And people wonder why his Test batting has tailed off.

Yet the ECB don’t seem bothered, even if KP does not find another county that’s close enough to be home for tea.

Andrew Flintoff has already gone ‘freelance’ so, presumably, Pietersen could follow. Except he is still a mainstay of our Ashes squad.

That’s if Australia isn’t too far.