Imrul Kayes, the former Bangladesh opener, has officially announced his retirement from Test cricket. In a heartfelt 1.29-minute video shared on his social media, the 37-year-old expressed gratitude to fans, captioning the post, “Goodbye Test cricket. Grateful for the love.”
Kayes played his last Test match in 2019 against India at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, which also marked Bangladesh’s only day-night Test to date. Despite waiting five years for another opportunity, he remained out of the Test squad.
In his video message, Kayes also disclosed that he would retire from first-class cricket after playing his final match for Khulna against Dhaka in the National Cricket League (NCL) on November 16 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. “This is one of the most difficult and emotional moments of my life in my 17-year career,” he shared, adding that the decision came after careful consideration.
Kayes began his first-class career with Khulna Division on February 14, 2007, and has represented them ever since. Making his ODI debut in 2008, he soon earned a spot in the Test team and went on to play 39 Tests, scoring 1,797 runs at an average of 24.28, including three centuries and four fifties. In 78 ODIs, he accumulated 2,434 runs at an average of 32.02, with four hundreds and 16 fifties. He also played 14 T20 internationals, scoring 119 runs.
While he is stepping away from Test and first-class cricket, Kayes has yet to announce his retirement from ODIs and T20Is, leaving fans hopeful of seeing him in action in the shorter formats.
