A decade of the effortless grinder

There aren't many aspects of the game that the Tigers fans would want to recall when Bangladesh made their Test debut at Lord's ten years ago on May 26, except for the fact that that match gave birth to a player, who eventually went on to redefine Bangladesh's batting and set a new standard with his work ethic.

He may have scored just 19 runs in that innings but he stayed at the crease for an hour and 25 minutes and looked like the only batsman who possessed the technique to handle England's lethal pacers in alien conditions.

Ten years on and he is the most sought after batsman in the country.

The way Mushfiqur Rahim now executes his slog sweeps with near perfection and the manner in which he backs away from the wicket to launch the ball over covers, terrorizing opponents, are perhaps two of the most enjoyable scenes for Bangladesh's cricket fans today.

To many the sound of his willow seems like music to the ears. The little man does it so effortlessly that many believe that it all comes to him naturally; that he was merely born to play those shots.

The truth, of course, is a lot different. Ask Mushfiqur's close associates and they will tell you how the little man sweated out almost every second of his ten-year-old career.

 "One day he (Mushfiqur) got out three times within eight balls while playing a shot against me and left-arm spinner Rifatul Islam, as there was considerable turn on the surface.

"Frustrated, he went back to his seat. He came back after a while and played that shot for nearly one-and-a-half hours, till he felt that he had perfected it. That's' the kind of player he is," recalled off-spinner Rakibul Islam Shohag, who has been bowling to Mushfiqur in the nets since 2009.

Shohag's tale is just one of those many stories that reflect Mushfiqur's discipline. 

He goes on to share a more recent anecdote that took place prior to the first ODI against Pakistan.

"After the team's scheduled practice session he threw a challenge to me. He said that since my action was like Saeed Ajmal's, he would give me Tk 5000 if I could take his wicket.

"I bowled to him for an hour, in vain. It's always difficult to get rid of him when he is so committed. It wasn't a surprise that he scored a century the next day," Shohag asserted.

"For the last four years I have seen him practicing with two spinners and two pace bowlers even in the off season. He is a perfectionist. Today when I see him playing the slog-sweep with near perfection, I recall the countless number of hours he spent batting in the nets against me," smirked Shohag, who played for Indira Road this season in the First Division cricket league.

Mushfiqur's rise to the top reinstates the theory that mere talent isn't enough to go all the way.

"In his group, there were more talented students. For instance, there was Shamsur Rahman… and a couple of others. Hard-work, dedication and honesty are the qualities that took Mushfiqur to his current position," said Matiur Rahman, Mushfiqur's mentor during the batsman's time at the BKSP.

 "I have never seen such an attentive player in practice. I don't know, but maybe it comes to him by birth. His concentration resembled a devotee practicing his prayers. Everybody practiced for the same amount of time but Mushfiqur was clearly the hungriest of the lot.

"There was a time when his sweep-shot induced plenty of catches at slip and square leg. But today he is a master of this shot and this is not a miracle, it's just his dedication," added Rahman.

To provide an idea as to how deeply involved Mushfiqur is with the game, Rahman goes back to 2005 when Mushfiqur first toured England. "I was talking to him over the phone and he was in tears just because he struggled there initially.

"He is disciplined and his work ethics are exemplary that is true... but what's even more amazing is his human nature. He has already established himself as a star cricketer in the country but he still respects me like he did when he was in school and shares all his thoughts with me," a proud Rahman exclaims.

Bangladesh's former fielding coach Mohammad Salahuddin, who has worked with the player since 2007, shared a similar sentiment.

 "When others practice for an hour, he does it for two. I haven't seen any other player as industrious as him," Salahuddin said.

A wild-card inclusion for Bangladesh's maiden tour of England, a surprise entrant in Bangladesh's World Cup squad in 2007, his hard-work and talent has been keeping him ahead of his peers and his seniors from a very early age.

There have been other players in the past who have rocketed their way to the big league as quickly as him.

The only difference though is that Mushfiqur grinded it out during those tough times and aimed big. Unlike the others, he didn't fade into obscurity.