Asia Cup 2025: Kaushal Silva officially named Hong Kong head coach
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Former Sri Lankan batter Kaushal Silva has been appointed as the new men's head coach of the Hong Kong National Cricket Team. The Sri Lankan will have his first major outing as an international coach in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025.
The Asia Cup 2025 will be held in the September window after much opposition from several cricket boards and causing a strain of doubt within the member nations of the Asian Cricket Council. However, after the Annual General Meeting of the ACC was held back on the 24th of July, a formal decision was made on the Asia Cup 2025.
One of the major opponents of the continental championship was the host nation, India, and its cricket board, BCCI, since they opposed playing against Pakistan due to the rising political tensions. However, citing some reasons as well as the chance to host the 2036 Olympics, they, alongside the Indian government, reconsidered their decision.
Kaushal Silva appointed Hong Kong's new head coach
The former Sri Lankan Test cricketer Kaushal Silva played for the Lankans from 2011 to 2018, and though he did not have much international exposure, he was a legend of Sri Lankan domestic first-class cricket, where he amassed 13,932 runs in 209 matches, with 41 hundreds.
Kaushal Silva's appointment clearly comes as a part of citing better chances in the Asia Cup 2025, as the team would begin preparations now, with the tournament scheduled to begin on the 9th of September for the Hong Kong side.
"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," said Burji Shroff, chairperson of Cricket Hong Kong.
On the other hand, Kaushal Silva also revealed his plans as a coach: "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."
Kaushal Silva has served in a coaching role previously across Sri Lanka, England, and Australia, but this marks the first major outing in international cricket as a coach for the 39-year-old.
Hong Kong's schedule for the Asia Cup 2025
The Sri Lankan coach Kaushal Silva has served across domestic and franchise tournaments around the world; however, in his first major international outing as a head coach, he would have to first learn about the team.
Hong Kong's last assignment came in the recently concluded Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy played in Singapore, where they lost to Malaysia in the title round. Now with Silva's appointment, they would look to better their stats from Group B, where they are placed alongside Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
Hong Kong Asia Cup 2025 Schedule:
Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, 9th September 2025, Venue - TBC
Hong Kong vs Bangladesh, 11th September 2025, Venue - TBC
Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong, 15th September 2025, Venue - TBC
Asia Cup 2025 will feature 8 participating teams
The Asia Cup 2025 is to be held, which was confirmed by the Asia Cricket Council in the AGM, which was held at Dhaka. Alongside this, they had also confirmed that the Asia Cup would comprise 8 teams.
The information from media sources confirmed that a set of four teams will be divided into two groups, with Group A featuring India, Pakistan, UAE, and Oman, while the other group features Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kon,g and Sri Lanka.
The matches are likely to be played in the UAE, with India remaining as the official host for the continental championship.
