His training routine is often a subject of discussion, still fueled with motivation despite a 100 Tests under his belt. Youngsters still find him hard to beat in fitness tests.

Mushfiqur credits former national trainer Stuart Karppinen for changing his approach towards fitness, insisting that he still keeps the former Australian domestic cricketer's advice close to his heart.

Karppinen operated as Bangladesh's strength & conditioning coach from 2004 to 2006, and returned to work with them as a physical high-performance manager between 2012 and 2016.

"When I first got the opportunity to play for the national team, we had a trainer named Stuart Karppinen. I think in the history of Bangladesh cricket, nobody like him ever came and I doubt if anyone like him will ever come in the future.

"I have worked with a lot of wonderful trainers over the years, but one thing that he said has stayed with me and I remember it till date," Mushfiqur was recently quoted as saying in the Simply Sayeed podcast.

"Being a guy who came from Under-19s to represent the country, and getting noticed (by Stuart) amidst the crowd was naturally (big)... as there were 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 form," he said

"Because they (senior players) were almost 30-plus, and I was just a 17-year-old who landed in the national team, so naturally such a youngster would have more speed, quickness and running. 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, due to my age," he said.

"But I need to make sure that with age, my work ethic should also improve to make sure I do not have any shortcomings. Because as you age, your speed, endurance or strength will start dropping," Mushfiqur added.

"This extra work that I do got into my habit from that point of time. I had to make sure I put in the extra work, so that I can maintain the same (fitness) in the next five years and that habit (of doing extra work) that started then, really helped me," he said.

Mushfiqur revealed Karppinen's suggestion to work solo, as he could develop himself better by competing with his own self, instead of matching expectations from others.

"Another thing that he told me was to make sure I work alone. When you work alone, no one can see you. 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 sessions, you can do four reps instead of six for the same reason. And when you do it perfectly and honestly, it becomes a habit," said Mushfiqur, admitting that he could work more diligently and thoroughly in his own company, even as he grew older.

"All thanks to the habit that was built at that young age. I think it is a blessing that he (Stuart) helped me have an impact in my game," Mushfiqur added.

Through good and bad times, Mushfiqur built himself bit by bit, turning into a Bangladesh legend through hours and hours of training. He will surely be remembered in Bangladesh's cricketing history not just for his achievements, but also for his unwavering dedication, the basis for him becoming one of the most successful cricketers from the country.