Attention not sought

Imrul Kayes believes that as crucial as it is to switch focus from white to red ball cricket, it will be the frame of mind that will decide how successfully Bangladesh return to Test cricket after more than a year.

One half of the country's second most successful opening combination, Imrul has already begun preparing on his own while also undergoing the fitness camp.

"The last time I played a longer version game was the Manchester Test (last year). So I'm preparing hard this time," he said yesterday.

Unlike Mushfiqur Rahim, Shafiul Islam or Junaed Siddiqui, Imrul didn't tour South Africa with the A team this year (he was busy playing ODIs against Australia) nor did his first-class side, Khulna, make it to the second round of this season's National Cricket League so that he could take part in a match or two. In fact, the last time Imrul played for Khulna was all the way back in the 2008-09 season.

He admitted that the change from one-day cricket to Tests would be quite uncomfortable.

"We have only played the white ball for a year now. So it will be slightly uneasy. But I have already started to use the bowling machine to get used to the red ball."

After a slow start to international cricket, the left-hander matured beautifully into a dependable opener who complements Tamim Iqbal's cavalier ways.

During the World Cup earlier this year, his caution-to-the-wind approach surprised many but after some initial hitches, the Chittagong leg of the tournament brought out the best in him.

Ending the tournament as the team's top-scorer with 188 runs, Imrul drew praise even from those who doubted if he would last at the top due to his cricketing background.

He held the England side at bay in Chittagong with his crucial 60. In the next match against the Netherlands, he fulfilled a wish to finish the job, ending on 73 not out.

"I got two man-of-the-match awards and I was the highest scorer for Bangladesh. Those are big achievements and I always maintained that I won't say much before the event and I kept that promise," he said while recalling the knocks that brought him notice.

But Imrul thrives on the small-town boy role, skirting extra attention and letting the star-status fall on others. While Tamim and Shakib enjoy plenty of attention these days, the likes of Imrul, Shafiul Islam and Mahmudullah Riyad get little heat of the arc lights.

"A big event like the World Cup always gives a player like me a lot of confidence. I really feel better about my batting after the tournament," he said.

It does make sense; the Meherpur lad hitting the international headlines could be an unnerving issue but he took all in his stride and it showed how well he handled the attention.

The upcoming Zimbabwe tour would be his fourth season and Imrul maintains that he will not reveal his targets. "I don't want to talk about my targets. I know what they are," he said.