ZCZC
BSP-22
CRICKET-MUSHFIQUR-LEE
Mushfiqur’s fitness regime inspires young players: Nick Lee
DHAKA, March 15, 2021 (BSS)- Bangladesh’s strength and conditioning coach
Nicholas Lee found Mushfiqur Rahim an inspirational figure for the young
players in the team as far as the fitness regime is concerned, which had
eventually made the side fitter and sharper of late.
“In terms of other teams that I have worked with, this team is an
incredibly hard working team. They have some of the most professional players
that I have seen,” Nicholas Lee, popularly known as Nick Lee said in a
recorded video message sent by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) today.
“Mushfiqur Rahim is a great example for some of the younger players. They
are starting to follow him. The majority of the squad does what are asked of
them. I think they are starting to realize that in this day and age, it is
incredibly important to be physically fit. There’s a lot of travel and often
games are congested in a short space of time. You do need to be on top of
your fitness work, so that you can recover between matches and keep playing
at a high intensity whole year around.”
While Mushfiqur inspired the other players a lot, Nick Lee also found most
of the players enjoy the physical training. He, however, emphasized on to
input new ideas in physical training so that the players don’t get bored.
“I think fitness and fun is interesting. The fitter you get, the easier it
actually becomes and you start to enjoy it a bit more. When you first start
to improve your fitness, it can be difficult. You can get sore and it could
be quite hard work, as you get better, it does become more enjoyable. I think
at the moment most of the players are enjoying their physical training. If
you can keep them fresh with new ideas, it can also take their mind off the
pressure of the day in day out of the skills training,” he remarked.
Bangladesh would play a three-match ODI series and as many T20 matches in
their New Zealand tour. For only six matches, it should be a short tour but
the 14-day quarantine rule made the tour a bit longer, which, according to
Lee was a blessing in disguise as the players got enough time to work with
their physical and mental fitness.
“The little bit longer we have spent in New Zealand may be a blessing in
disguise. It actually allows us to build towards matches bit slower than the
original schedule,” he said.
“Although we were in quarantine in Christchurch for two weeks, the players
were given some bands and exercise bike. After the seventh day, they allowed
us to use the gym every day. They could also do running and sprint work. Once
we have been in Queenstown, we have been able to ramp it up. These are
excellent facilities with access to gym and swimming pool.”
“It was difficult for some people to start with because of the jetlag.
There’s substantial time difference between Bangladesh and New Zealand. For
the first week or so, quite a lot of people were adjusting their sleep
patterns. Once they got outside after day 7 or 8, they started to find it
easier to sleep. They have now got enough time to adjust, and get themselves
ready from a physical point of view,” he concluded.
BSS/SMP/SSS/1919 hrs