Mosaddek in Grade C, but Mehedi in Grade D

Nasir Hossain, Al-Amin Hossain and Arafat Sunny have been excluded from the Bangladesh Cricket Board's national contract this year.

Instead, the BCB have included Mosaddek Hossain, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Mehedi Hasan Miraj and Taskin Ahmed.

Kamrul and Mehedi have been placed in Grade D and will be earning Tk 100,000 every month, while Mosaddek and Taskin have been put in Grade C and they will be earning Tk 150,000. While the youngsters were bound to be included based on their performances, the surprising factor was the elevation of Mosaddek to Grade C. It was a move that raised a few questions considering that Mehedi has been kept in Grade D.

There were no other surprises in the national contract with Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal receiving the top contracts with Tk 400,000 per month. Mahmudullah Riyad is the only player in the Grade A category and he will be earning Tk 300,000 per month.

The four top order batsmen -- Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Sabbir Rahman and Soumya Sarkar -- will earn Tk 200,000 per month, while Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman have been placed in Grade C and will earn Tk 150,000 per month. 

Slow left-arm spinner Taijul Islam has been given a Grade D contract and he will be earning Tk 100,000. While Taijul is more senior than the others in Grade D, he is yet to cement his place in the Test squad.

Last year, 15 cricketers were given the national contract. This year, the board decided to increase one slot and include a number of youngsters because of their valuable contribution to the team.

The captains and the vice-captain will earn an extra Tk 20,000 and Tk 10,000 respectively.