Kaushal Silva appointed Hong Kong head coach before Asia Cup as they hope to have a strong showing in the tournament.
Kaushal Silva appointed Hong Kong head coach ahead of Asia Cup.
Kaushal Silva, a former Test cricket player for Sri Lanka, has been named the new head coach of the Hong Kong men’s team.
His appointment is made in advance of Hong Kong’s Asia Cup campaign, in which they will take on Afghanistan in the opening match on September 9.
Since his playing career ended in 2019, Silva has had coaching positions in Sri Lanka, England, and Australia. He played 39 Test matches between 2011 and 2018. However, the 39-year-old will be leading an international team for the first time.
In first-class cricket, he was a productive wicketkeeper-opener, scoring 13,932 runs with 41 hundreds in 209 games, three of which were for the Test team.
In a news statement, Burji Shroff, the chairperson of Cricket Hong Kong, China, stated that the selection was in line with the board’s objectives.
“Kaushal’s dedication to nurturing and developing talent resonates with our vision for the future of cricket in Hong Kong. We believe that under his guidance, we can not only elevate our competitive standing but also promote the sport within our community.”
Silva said his “focus will be on instilling a strong work ethic and a winning mentality amongst the senior squad and working to identify and nurture fresh talent for continued growth”.
Hong Kong fell to Malaysia in the final round of the Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy, which was recently held in Singapore.
With Silva on board, they will aim to improve their standing in the T20 Asia Cup’s Group B, where they will also play in the opening round against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.