Imrul Kayes announces retirement from first-class and Test cricket

Bangladeshi batter Imrul Kayes has announced his retirement from first-class and Test cricket. The 37-year-old took to Facebook to share the news, revealing that his final red-ball appearance will be for Khulna Division in their National Cricket League (NCL) match against Dhaka Division at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, starting Saturday, November 16.

Kayes shared a one-minute 29-second video featuring highlights from his cricketing career. In the video, he said:

“Assalamu Alaikum, I’m Imrul Kayes. With love and respect to all my Bangladeshi cricket fans, I want to share that I will soon be making a difficult decision regarding my cricket career. On November 16th, I will officially announce my retirement from Test and first-class cricket. This has been the most challenging and emotional decision of my 17-year career (translated from Bengali).”

The left-handed batter represented Bangladesh in 39 Tests, scoring 1,797 runs at an average of 24.28, including three centuries and four fifties. His final Test appearance came in 2019 against India at Eden Gardens, where he managed just nine runs across two innings in a heavy loss by an innings and 46 runs.

In addition, Kayes has played 137 first-class matches, amassing 7,930 runs at an average of 33.74, with 27 half-centuries and 20 centuries, his highest score being 204.

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Imrul Kayes to continue in the white-ball format

While the seasoned batter has announced his retirement from the red-ball format, Imrul Kayes will continue to play in white-ball cricket.

The 37-year-old has featured in 78 ODIs for Bangladesh, scoring 2,434 runs at an average of 32.02, with 16 half-centuries and four centuries.

His most recent ODI appearance came in 2018 against the West Indies, where he was dismissed for a duck in a four-wicket defeat. Kayes has also appeared in 14 T20Is, scoring 119 runs at a low average of 9.15, without achieving any notable milestones.