Misbah happy with young guns despite dismal Lankan tour

"Losing a Test series after nearly two years was disappointing for all of us but the way Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Junaid Khan performed it was a big boost for the entire team," Misbah told reporters after the team returned home.

Pakistan lost the one-day and Test series in Sri Lanka but Azhar and Asad scored heavily while Junaid was also in outstanding form with his left-arm pace bowling.

He said players such as Azhar, Asad and Junaid are the future of Pakistan cricket.

"Any defeat is a disappointment but I would say we had our silver lining on this tour. Asad and Azhar have been playing for last two years and they have now really matured into confident batsmen," he said.

Azhar hit two hundreds in the Tests and Asad was man of the match in the final Test with a century while Junaid finished with 14 wickets when his senior colleagues like Umar Gul struggled.

He also paid tributes to young wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal for batting through in the final Test second innings despite a fractured finger.

"It was brave of him and it shows the spirit in the team. I am encouraged with these performances," he added. More