Time for Hong Kong to turn potential into performances at Asia Cup, head coach says
Kaushal Silva targeting strong finish at T20 tournament following pair of defeats, tips captain Yasim Murtaza to take team ‘to next level’
Kaushal Silva has backed captain Yasim Murtaza to lead Hong Kong’s cricketers “to the next level”, but said it was time for his players to convert potential into performances.
The city team will finish their Asia Cup campaign against Silva’s native Sri Lanka in Dubai on Monday.
They were soundly beaten by Afghanistan in their opening game, when they dropped five catches, before losing a closer contest with Bangladesh.
The head coach, who is taking charge in a tournament for the first time, said there was “a lot of improvement across all areas in the second game,” including the players giving “it our all in the field.
“The players have potential, for sure, but they have to convert it into performances,” Silva added. “If we perform for 40 overs, we can do something special.”
Appointed in July, Silva inherited a captain in 34-year-old all-rounder Murtaza who replaced Nizakat Khan last December, and said he was happy having “a strong leader … respected and trusted by everyone in the group”.