Mushfiq credits Karppinen for work ethic

Bangladesh cricket stalwart Mushfiqur Rahim was all praises for Stuart Karppinen, the Tigers' former fitness trainer, when asked whether his work ethic has contributed to the longevity of his career. 

The former Bangladesh captain admitted as much in a podcast “Simply Sayeed” on Wednesday, 17 June. 

Mushfiq is known for his dedication and maintaining fitness at the highest level even at the age of 39.

“Being a guy who came from Under-19 to the national circuit, and getting noticed amidst the crowd of the then legendary players like Sumon bhai (Habibul Bashar), Pilot bhai (Khaled Mashud), Rafique bhai (Mohammad Rafique), Mashrafe bhai (Mashrafe bin Mortaza) and even Ashraful bhai (Mohammad Ashraful) with all of them in their peak forms, was amazing,” said Mushfiq. 

“But what stuck with me was when he (Stuart) told me that I can easily compete with them (the senior players) with all the work that I was doing back then, but had to make sure I do not have any shortcomings. He told me what I could do was simply because of my age, but I had to make sure with age, my work ethic should also improve,” he stated. 

“He said with age, my speed, endurance and strength will start dropping. This extra work that I had to do, helped me get habituated with this (work ethic) in the next five years. I had to make sure that I put in the extra work, so that I can maintain the same amount (of work ethic),” he noted. 

“Another thing that he told me was to make sure I work alone. He told me when I work alone, no one can see me. A lot of times, there are hurdles. When you do certain training in one minute, you can do it in one and a half minutes because no one is watching. Even during weight training you can do four reps instead of six for the same reason. And when you do it perfectly and honestly, it creates a habit,” he explained. 

“Now if I want to, even unwillingly, do a set for two and a half minutes instead of one and a half minutes, yes due to age, there will be some lackings, but intentionally relaxing for a minute will not happen. All thanks to the habit that was built in that young age. I think it is a blessing that he (Stuart) helped me have an impact in my game,” he concluded.