Imrul Kayes to bid adieu to red ball cricket next week

Opening batter Imrul Kayes has announced his retirement from Test and first-class cricket, with his final match set to be the upcoming National Cricket League (NCL) game between Khulna Division and Dhaka Division at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on November 16.

Kayes shared the news via a video on his verified social media page accompanied by a caption that read, "Goodbye Test Cricket. Thank you for your love."

"To all the cricket-loving fans of Bangladesh, with respect and affection, I want to share a difficult decision in my career," Kayes said in the video. "I will officially announce the end of my Test and first-class cricket career on November 16."
"This is the most challenging and emotional moment of my life and my 17-year career," he added.

The left-hander debuted in first-class cricket for Khulna Division in a match against Dhaka Division on February 14 in 2007 and fittingly will end his career facing the same team.

Kayes has represented Bangladesh in 39 Tests, 78 ODIs and 14 T20i matches. In Tests, he scored 1,797 runs across 76 innings including three centuries and four fifties, with an average of 24.28 and a top score of 150. In ODIs, he amassed 2,434 runs hitting four centuries and 16 fifties, while in T20i format, he scored 119 runs over 14 innings.

He made his Test debut against South Africa in Bloemfontein in 2008 and played his last match for Bangladesh in the historic Pink Ball Test against India in Kolkata in November 2019, where he scored four and five runs in his final innings.