Craig Cumming opened the face of his bat and worked a single through point with military routine.
It was virtually indistinguishable from thousands of similar shots he has played during a celebrated career.
But this time, when the 36-year-old right-hander reached the other end and grounded his bat, he did so as Otago's leading run-scorer.
Under gloomy skies and in front of a sparse spattering of spectators, Cumming had just replaced Bert Sutcliffe at the very top of the list.
Those present at the Plunket Shield match at the University Oval yesterday rose politely and acknowledged the monumental moment.
Cumming's own celebrations were muted considering the significance of his achievement.
He removed his helmet and then tilted his bat in the direction of the Otago dressing room.
And that was it.
He almost appeared embarrassed to have scored 6029 runs and have erased the great left-hander's record.
"It is a special moment," Cumming said.
"You want to enjoy it but I'm a guy who has a lot of respect for the history of the game and Bert Sutcliffe is one of our greats. I'm just privileged to have my name mentioned alongside him.
"I think, if you compare our two records, mine has come about because I've played 20-odd more games than Sutcliffe."
Unfortunately, Cumming's family were not present.
The former test opener had injured himself fielding on Tuesday and had told his wife he would not be batting.
But with his team getting into a pickle, Cumming had a burst of adrenalin and gingerly made his way out to the crease.
Watching him bat, it was obvious he was in pain.
But he scored the five runs needed to overtake Sutcliffe and was eventually undone on 30, having bought his side some valuable time.
"I thought, when I couldn't move, Bert was looking down on me and wanting to hold on to it for a bit longer," Cumming joked.
"But I didn't go out there to bat and beat a record. I went out there to try and do what I could for the team. People who know me know that those runs have all been for the right reason. Whenever I've played for Otago I've been exceptionally proud."
