Kaushal Silva appointed Hong Kong head coach ahead of Asia Cup

Former Sri Lanka Test cricketer, Kaushal Silva has been appointed the new Hong Kong men's head coach.

His appointment comes ahead of Hong Kong's Asia Cup campaign, where they will play the tournament opener on September 9 against Afghanistan.

Silva played 39 Tests between 2011 and 2018, and has had coaching stints in Sri Lanka, England and Australia since 2019, when he finished up as a player. But this will be the 39-year-old's first time at the helm of an international side.

He was a prolific wicketkeeper-opener in first-class cricket: in 209 matches, he scored 13,932 runs with 41 hundreds, three of which were for the Test side.

Burji Shroff, the chairperson of Cricket Hong Kong, China, said in a press release that the appointment aligned with the board's plans: "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's last assignment was the recent Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy, played in Singapore, where they lost to Malaysia in the title round.

With Silva's appointment, they will be looking to further their credentials in Group B of the T20 Asia Cup, where they will also face Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the first group stage.