Imrul Kayes desperate to return for Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka

Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes is working hard to regain match fitness before Bangladesh visit Sri Lanka for a complete tour next month.

A niggling thigh injury, which ruled him out of the second Test against New Zealand in January, forced him out of the recent one-off Test in India as he sustained the wound in the warm-up game.

He may feature in the fourth round of the Bangladesh Cricket League set to begin on Sunday.

“I began rehabilitation after returning from India and have been doing some batting and running for the last two days,” he said on Thursday.

“I didn’t feel much pain and had no problem doing those. I am feeling great.”

Bangladesh Cricket Board physicians had warned Imrul before the Hyderabad Test that he might risk being sidelined for a long spell if he takes injury on the same place.

The 30-year-old left-handed batsman wants to test himself out in domestic cricket.

“Would this match help me gather myself? Definitely. I haven’t played domestic cricket for a long time. Playing helps me feel confident.

“And I would be able to find out by myself how much fit I’ve become in the match. I hope my batting and fielding everything would come out positive in the match.”

Other top-order batsman Soumya Sarkar, who went through a lean spell last year after putting up a dazzling show on his introduction among the Tigers in 2015, is a strong contender to pair with Tamim Iqbal after signalling a return to his best in India.

Hence Imrul must score runs in the domestic game besides being fit to retrieve a spot at the top of the order.