Bangladeshi cricketer Imrul Kayes has officially announced his retirement from Test and first-class cricket. Sharing his decision through a heartfelt video message on Facebook, Imrul revealed 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 next week. Despite stepping away from red-ball formats, he plans to continue playing white-ball cricket.
Imrul described the decision as both emotional and challenging, stating that he would retire from Test and first-class formats on November 16.
A Decade-Long Test Journey
Imrul's last appearance in the longest format was at Eden Gardens in 2019, during India's inaugural day-night Test. Primarily an opener, with occasional stints at No. 3, Imrul scored 1797 runs in 39 Tests at an average of 24.28, including three centuries and four half-centuries.
A Legendary Opening Duo
Imrul’s Test legacy is closely tied to his partnership with Tamim Iqbal, forming Bangladesh’s most successful opening pair. Together, they accumulated 2336 runs in 53 innings, with an impressive average of 45.80—the highest for any Bangladeshi opening duo. Their record includes four century stands, notably the 185-run partnership at Lord’s in 2010 and the world-record 312-run stand against Pakistan in Khulna in 2015. The latter, a remarkable effort in the third innings, helped Bangladesh salvage a draw after trailing by a significant margin. Their final partnership was during the 2018 home series against Sri Lanka.
A Fitting Finale in Mirpur
Imrul, just 70 runs shy of reaching 8000 first-class runs, will have the opportunity to achieve this milestone during his farewell match, which begins on November 16 in Mirpur. Fans and teammates alike are expected to celebrate the career of a cricketer who made a lasting impact on Bangladesh’s red-ball cricket.
While Imrul steps away from the whites, his contributions will continue to inspire future generations of Bangladeshi cricketers.