Farhad Hossain walked into his final first-class innings with a guard of honour from the Rangpur Division players. It was followed by a testing period of 42 minutes before Abdullah Al Mamun had him caught behind for nine runs. As he walked off the field with handshakes and good wishes, a great Bangladesh first-class career came to an end.
Farhad, a middle-order batter and offspinner, was playing his 161st first-class match, finishing with 9,065 runs at an average of 35.97. He has 18 centuries and 46 fifties and has won six NCL titles for Rajshahi Division. Farhad however holds a unique and unwanted recognition. He is the most experienced first-class cricketer in Bangladesh's history never to have represented the country at the highest level. He only played a handful of matches for Bangladesh A, but couldn't quite make it further.
Farhad however doesn't let that regret of not playing for Bangladesh take over him.
"I think it will always be a regret to have never played for Bangladesh," Farhad told ESPNcricinfo. "Every sportsperson wants to play for their country. It wasn't in my destiny. [But] I am happy with what I have done. I regularly performed in first class and Dhaka Premier League for many years but I wasn't up to the mark in the Bangladesh A team. I couldn't make a score of 100 or 150. It counts for something with the selectors. I think that was my mistake."
Farhad's best years as a batter coincided with Bangladesh's most stable time in the middle-order. Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque and Shakib Al Hasan formed the engine room throughout the 2010s, while batters like Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman also held regular positions slightly lower down the order.
Farhad however couldn't be happier at ending on a contented note. He said he decided to retire during the 2024-25 season when the NCL schedule was announced, informing the selector Hannan Sarkar of his decision.
"I have played for nearly 20 years. When this season's first-class schedule was announced, I informed selector Hannan bhai that I will probably quit this time. I don't think I was enjoying it as much. I thought as long as I was fit to play, I wanted to retire from first-class cricket [after this season]. I think I will play one more season in the Dhaka Premier League."
Farhad made his debut in 2005 and scored 515 runs in the 2005-06 NCL season before playing an instrumental role in Rajshahi's four successive title wins from 2008 to 2012. Farhad was Rajshahi's highest scorer during this time, when they combined experience with skills that made them invincible in first-class cricket.
"There was a huge difference in that team and one that's playing now. We had a lot of experience in that side. We also had plenty of competition among ourselves so whenever we got into the team, we had to perform straight away. I think becoming champions was a matter of luck too.
"When I was coming through in my early days, I played with Pilot [Khaled Mashud] bhai. There was also Shonchoy bhai [Anisur Rahman], Mushfiq Babu [Mushfiqur Rahman] and Rafiqul [Islam] bhai. We had bowlers like Alamgir [Kabir] bhai and [Mohammad] Shahzada. Then the likes of Junaid Siddique and Farhad Reza also came through. We had guys like Jahurul Islam Omi and Naeem Islam. Sunzamul [Islam] and Saqlain Sajib. We played together for 10 to 12 years. We had a strong bond. We knew each other well, to the point that we knew how one would react after one bad game."
Farhad's best season was in 2010 when he struck 797 runs at 56.92, with three centuries and as many fifties. He followed it up with consecutive seasons of 572 runs (2010-11) and 574 runs (2011-12). Even when they belatedly won their sixth title in 2018, Farhad made 339 runs, averaging 48.42.
Out of his 18 first-class centuries, he picked his three favourites. His only double-century gets a mention. His fourth-innings century, off 69 balls against Chittagong in December 2016 and his century in his 100th first-class game also make the list.
Rajshahi haven't won an NCL title in a long time. Farhad however remains hopeful of the current batch, who he believes need to be given time to play together. Farhad feels they have the potential to bring back Rajshahi's glory days.
"We have a team of newcomers now. Everyone will need two or three years to adjust to first-class cricket. In itself, this is a game of patience, so we have to show patience about the players too. They are creating their batch, just like we did ten years ago. You will see them doing well soon," he said.
Farhad wants to become a specialist batting coach to help the next generation in Rajshahi. He believes it is one area where there's a bit of gap in coaching in the country.
"I want to get into coaching," he said. "I want to specialize as a batting coach. I don't think we have those enough in Bangladesh. I just completed my first-class career. I think I will start somewhere in Rajshahi. We have a few cricket academies here, where I can help out as a coach. I have to learn coaching too. I have to show patience."
Farhad, the nearly man who wears his tag with pride, hopes to inspire the next generations by continuing to be in cricket in some capacity. He will play in the DPL this season before embarking on a coaching career, for which his stature of a domestic giant should help.