In the fifth round of the National Cricket League, Imrul Kayes played his last red-ball match against Dhaka Division at Mirpur. Kayes, who had been a vital player for Bangladesh in both international and domestic cricket, couldn’t make a significant impact in his farewell match. After being invited to bat by Mohammad Mithun, the captain of the Khulna Division, the team got off to a rough start.

Opening batter Amit Majumder was dismissed for 10 runs, bowled out by Salauddin Shakil. Imrul Kayes came in at number three and partnered with Anamul Haque Bijoy. Together, the pair put up a partnership of 32 runs before Suman Khan broke through, dismissing Enamul for 28 runs off 29 balls.

The next wicket to fall was Kayes himself. In what would be his final innings, the veteran left-hander was dismissed for 16 runs, caught behind off the bowling of Dhaka's medium pacer. The moment was emotional for both teams as Kayes was given a guard of honor by both sides as a mark of respect. His teammates, including Mohammad Ashraful and Tamim Iqbal, congratulated him on his remarkable career.

After the departure of Kayes, the wickets continued to fall for Khulna Division. However, captain Mohammad Mithun held the fort at one end, scoring a half-century in a resilient display. Mithun's 50 runs were the highlight of an otherwise difficult innings for Khulna, and his partnership with Jawad Royen for the fifth wicket, which added 36 runs, was the highest partnership of the innings.

The other batsmen struggled against Dhaka’s bowlers, particularly Sumon Khan, who finished with 6 wickets. Khulna Division was eventually all out for just 170 runs.

Despite dismissing Khulna for a low score, Dhaka Division was not without its own troubles. In the second over of their innings, they lost opener Roni Talukdar. Anisul Shibli, who had looked promising with a couple of boundaries, was dismissed for just 11 runs. Dhaka was further rocked by a double strike from Al-Amin, putting them on the back foot.

At 26 for 3, it was left to Mosaddek Hossain to steady the ship for Dhaka Division. His resilience will be crucial as they aim to overcome the early setbacks in this tense encounter.