In a post on his verified Facebook page, Imrul Kayes wrote, “Goodbye Test cricket. I am grateful for all your love.”
This caption led fans to quickly infer that the left-handed batsman had decided to retire from Test cricket. Upon clicking on the video message shared along with the post, more details emerged: Imrul would announce his retirement from both Test and first-class cricket on the upcoming Saturday.
The video begins with Imrul walking through the tunnel of Sher-e-Bangla Stadium. As the melancholic music plays, clips from his career flash on screen. Sitting in the stands, he says, “I would like to share something with respect and love for all the cricket-loving fans of Bangladesh.”
Next, in the video, we see Imrul on the field. Standing there, he says, “I am about to make a difficult decision in my career.” Sitting in the Bangladesh dressing room, he adds, “On November 16th (Saturday), I will announce the end of my Test cricket career, and along with it, I will also end my first-class career.”
Imrul continues, “This is one of the most difficult and emotional moments of my 17-year career.” The video ends with a shot of Imrul wearing the Test jersey, showing his jersey number, 45.
Imrul has played 39 Tests, 78 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and 14 T20Is for the Bangladesh national team. His last appearance was in Test cricket, on November 22, 2019, during the day-night Test against India at Eden Gardens, where he scored 9 runs across two innings. Since then, the 37-year-old has been absent from all formats of the national team. Imrul has not yet made an official announcement about his retirement from ODIs or T20Is.
Imrul made his first-class debut for Khulna Division against Dhaka Division on February 14, 2007. He continues to play in the National League for Khulna Division. In the most recent match against Sylhet, which ended in a draw, he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings but scored 71 runs in the second innings. On November 16th (Saturday), Khulna will face Dhaka at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in the fifth round of the National League, which will also mark Imrul’s final game before his retirement from Test and first-class cricket. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will honor him on this occasion.
Imrul ranks 10th among the highest run-scorers for Bangladesh in Test cricket, with 1,797 runs from 76 innings at an average of 24.28, including 3 centuries and 4 fifties, with a highest score of 150. In addition to playing domestic cricket, Imrul is also involved in the bat-making business, owning ‘MK Sports.’
