Gough had the minor satisfaction of topscoring, with 34, when England batted so badly during their first innings at Lord's.
But, once South Africa had replied with 682 for six declared and Gough trudged away wicketless, the writing was on the wall for an always proud Yorkshireman.
"I'm sad," he said today. "But every players knows when the time to step down has come." Gough knew a return to Test cricket would not be easy after an absence of nearly two years - an absence brought about mainly by his knee problems.
But his lively performances throughout this summer's one-day internationals, against Pakistan, Zimbabwe and South Africa, encouraged him to think he could recapture the magic of old.
There is a world of difference, though, between a few one-day games and the relentless grind of Test match bowling.
In the end, a total of 53 overs during the back-to-back Tests at Edgbaston and Lord's brought him just one wicket at a cost of 215 runs.
There was no shortage of effort but, on benign pitches, the ability to surprise top batsmen had gone.
Perhaps Gough knew all along how it would work out. Before the Edgbaston game he said he just wanted to get off 228 wickets. "If I only manage one and finish on 229 I will be happy," added the fast bowler who made his Test debut in 1994 and, perhaps most memorably of all, did the hattrick in an Ashes Test at Sydney in 1999.
David Graveney, England's chairman of selectors, today paid tribute to Gough's record, saying he had a been a "brilliant talisman" for England for a decade.
Finding a replacement, for next week's Third Test at Trent Bridge, will not be easy. But, in all probability, England would have been forced to drop Gough if he had not spared them that painful decision.
The next question is whether any other members of the old guard will be gone by Thursday week.
There is continued uncertainty over Nasser Hussain's plans following his resignation as captain while Alec Stewart - who is playing his last series before retirement - could be left out to make way for a younger keeper.
