Coach Misbah-ul-Haq and his fellow selectors have been criticised by Pakistan media for placing too much expectation on such young shoulders, particularly against an ascendant team that thrives on home pitches.
Young opener Ishan Kishan credited India skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid for his return to form in the first T20 International against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
With Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting calling Ravichandran Ashwin "one of the most successful spinners in IPL history", the 33-year-old feels he has started understanding his role better.
Even in a chaotic season like this one, full of upsets and last-ball finishes, there were some players who were consistent throughout the competition and featured heavily in the individual awards.
'Ponting's the best coach I've ever met. I was very nervous when I was making a return to the IPL last season. I was almost feeling like a debutante walking into the camp the first day, but he gave me a lot of confidence since the first day I arrived at the camp.'
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings, in Sharjah, on Thursday.
Spinner Rashid Khan celebrated his 20th birthday in style by producing a stunning all-round display as Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 136 runs in an Asia Cup match in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan picked Virat Kohli as India's key player, but asserted that his team cannot take the other batsmen lightly when the teams meet in the ICC World T20 match in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Jason Holder insists Andre Russell's fitness is a gamble worth taking, after the all-rounder pulled up with another injury in their eight-wicket defeat by England.
Rajasthan Royals defeated Kings XI Punjab by six wickets in Jaipur, on Sunday, to register their third win in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League.
It was a total team effort by the 'Boys in Blue' who literally outclassed their South Asian neighbours in all departments of the game with a thoroughly professional performance.
CSK suffered their fifth loss in seven matches, going down by 37 runs to Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Dubai, on Saturday.
'My plan was to play my natural game but play the shots along the ground.'
Mohammad Shami has started bowling full tilt at the nets with his brother facing him, Shami said he still can't gauge how an old red ball will behave without the application of saliva.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test match between England and Pakistan in Manchester, on Wednesday.
K N Prabhu, the doyen of cricket writers, salutes Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, who appeared for the first time in Test cricket 50 years ago today, March 6, 1971.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Saturday.
The days of James Anderson and Stuart Broad spearheading England's fast bowling attack are over, according to former captain Michael Vaughan.
Motera stadium have been programmed in a manner that there will be no shadows hindering sighting of the ball.
Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, on Saturday, emphasised on smooth transition of the Under-19 World Cup winning players, who impressed with their discipline and controlled aggression during their victorious campaign.
Skipper David Warner felt Sunrisers Hyderabad were were probably 20-30 runs short in the loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing Indian Premier League on Saturday.
The Australian bowlers took the honours on a sunny day at the Gabba.
Pakistan dominated the first day of the opening Test after bowling out England for 184 and battling to 50 for one in overcast conditions at Lord's in London on Thursday.
Battle commences at Edgbaston on Thursday and the last time Australia won there was the opening match of the 2001 series which they ended up dominating 4-1.
Australia's former national selector Mark Waugh also picked the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand for their ability to perform well in all departments.
IMAGES from the 2nd T20 International played between India and West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
Hardik Pandya could take a cue from Ben Stokes' bowling during the ongoing series
With Australia wobbling at 76 for four on day two, Smith dragged his side back from the brink over eight-and-a-half hours of gut-busting graft and strode off the Gabba after tea on day three with an unbeaten 141 from 326 balls.
Images from Sunday's IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and SunRisers Hyderabad, in Abu Dhabi.
Opener Beth Mooney's brisk half-century helped hosts Australia beat New Zealand by four runs on Monday to seal the last semi-final spot in the Women's Twenty20 World Cup and keep their title defence intact. India, South Africa and England had already advanced to the knockout stage with Monday's last Group A clash between the trans-Tasman rivals deciding the final contender for the trophy.
A country which produced champion players of spin bowling such as Roy Dias, Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, it has been sharp downward slide for Dinesh Chandimal's men, who have consistently failed against Indian spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Kohli said he has sent out a message to his teammates asking them to focus solely on the team's requirements.
David Hussey's fighting 58 rallied the home side from 88 for 6 in a rain-curtailed triangular series match in Sydney on Friday.
The convincing win gave India an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Captain Kane Williamson struck a composed unbeaten century as New Zealand edged past South Africa by four wickets in a thrilling last-over finish.
Young opener Shubman Gill is looking in good rhythm and should continue to open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma in the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, former India batsman VVS Laxman said on Tuesday.
India's batsmen came a cropper under pace-friendly conditions, prompting captain Rohit Sharma to say that the forgettable performance against Sri Lanka in the first ODI in Dharamsala on Sunday is an eye-opener for the hosts.
Indian medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar feels that the bowlers need to adopt a 'patient' approach on a lifeless Trent Bridge wicket if the visitors want to bowl England out twice and win the first cricket Test in Nottingham.
We look back at how one of the biggest days in Indian cricket panned out...
Umpires should invoke cricket's laws and protect England's tailenders from Australia's relentless 'bodyline' bowling in the ongoing Ashes series, former England captain Michael Atherton has said.
