He may have come wearing dark glasses so that he would not show his wet eyes, he may have gone to that twenty-two yard because he would not tell all his heartache in front of the camera. He knelt down and touched the Mirpur pitch. He touched that sacred altar, did Rubel Hossain say anything to it? How many memories of 17 years are associated with this pitch, how much debt is accumulated with this soil. Rubel has lost touch with it after announcing his retirement from international cricket.Yesterday, Monday, was his farewell reception. Although it was not the kind of grand ceremony that floats before the eyes when you think of a reception, Rubel got a stage of honor. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) honored the former national team pacer with a short ceremony. The ceremony took place before the start of the second ODI against New Zealand at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur. In the presence of BCB President Tamim Iqbal, he was presented with a crest and a jersey of three versions framed.This 15-minute farewell ceremony was filled with love and respect. Someone from the VIP gallery said, 'Stay well Rubel Bhai.' This is no small achievement in a lifetime.Rubel Hossain's life-style statuses on Facebook are heart-warming. He has expressed in his writings that there is a world beyond cricket.
There is no doubt that cricket was present in that world. Because cricket is present in all his five senses. It is because of cricket that he became the Rubel he is today. That is why even after retiring from the game, he did not give up his rights to cricket. He will return in another role, as a coach.After the farewell ceremony at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur yesterday, he came to the press box and briefly chatted with the coach to express his desire to join the coaching profession. Rubel Hossain has not played for the national team for more than five years. He played his last match against New Zealand in Auckland on April 1, 2021. He was sent off before the start of the national team's second ODI against the Kiwis in Mirpur. The national team teammates stood in a row to pay their respects to the elder.At the farewell ceremony, Rubel said, "I sincerely thank the BCB and our president Tamim Iqbal for creating such a beautiful atmosphere today, for honoring me so beautifully. The man who brought me from the pacer hunt and gave me the ladder to climb is my beloved coach, my respected Sarwar Imran Sir. I will be grateful to Sir for the rest of my life. I sincerely thank all my coaches from my childhood, starting from school tournaments and starting from the national level, my physio and our grounds workers, starting from the coaches, who have given me a lot of support, given me courage and been by my side."Rubel Hossain, a child of an ordinary family, had the greatest contribution from his parents to become extraordinary. He expressed his gratitude to those parents for raising him with selfless love.
