Mushfiqur credits former trainer Karppinen for transforming his work ethic

Mushfiqur Rahim stands apart in Bangladesh cricket with his impeccable work ethic. Teammates agree no one matches his hard work and discipline, which juniors are asked to follow upon entering the national team.

While long-time teammates move toward retirement, Mushfiqur remains as hungry as on his debut at Lord's 21 years ago. First to training and last to leave, he does personal sessions even when others take breaks.

His training routine is still discussed despite 100 Tests. Youngsters find him hard to beat in fitness tests.

Mushfiqur credits former national trainer Stuart Karppinen for changing his approach to fitness. Karppinen was Bangladesh's strength & conditioning coach from 2004-2006 and returned as physical high-performance manager from 2012-2016.

"When I first got the opportunity to play for the national team, we had a trainer named Stuart Karppinen. In the history of Bangladesh cricket, nobody like him ever came and I doubt if anyone like him will ever come," Mushfiqur said on the Simply Sayeed podcast.

"Being a 17-year-old from Under-19s, getting noticed by him amidst legends like Habibul Bashar, Khaled Mashud, Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafe Mortaza and Mohammad Ashraful was big."

"He told me I could easily compete with them due to my age. But I need to make sure that with age, my work ethic improves so I have no shortcomings. As you age, speed, endurance and strength drop."

"This extra work became a habit from that point. I had to put in extra work to maintain fitness in the next five years."

Mushfiqur revealed Karppinen's advice to work alone: "When you work alone, no one sees you. You can do one-minute training in one and a half minutes because no one is watching. Even in weight training, you might do four reps instead of six. When you do it honestly, it becomes a habit."

"All thanks to the habit built at that young age. It is a blessing that he helped me have an impact in my game."