Youthful pair given 'rookie' contracts

Enamul Haque Junior, the young left-arm spinner, and the allrounder Manjural Islam Rana have been awarded "rookie contracts" by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

"This will encourage talented youngsters in the future," the BCB's cricket-committee chairman Mahbub Anam told the Dhaka Daily Star. "They will get a basic salary per month which will be less than a senior player's scale in the payroll. But all contracts are valid for six months. We will evaluate their performance during the next six months and, if they do well, they might be included under our regular payroll."

Enamul made his Test debut against England late last year, and went on to be the highest wicket-taker in the Under-19 World Cup. Manjarul is also a left-arm spinner, but has made his mark in one-dayers with his aggressive batting.

Mahbub also confirmed that Mohammad Ashraful, the youngest player to score a Test century, has also been given a contract, having returned to form after something of a slump. The BCB now has 12 players under contract.