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SCMP Sport

Hong Kong have named a 20-man squad for cricket’s ACC Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates and announced a preparation camp in the host country ahead of next month’s tournament.
Captained by Yasim Murtaza and led by their newly appointed head coach, Kaushal Silva, the city’s team will head to the UAE on Sunday. The T20 tournament will take place from September 9 to September 28, with the preceding camp set to feature competitive preparation matches and training sessions.
Hong Kong will take on Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the group stage.
“As we embark on our journey to the Asia Cup 2025, our final preparations will begin with this tour,” Silva said. “This wider squad will allow me to better assess each individual and provide players with the opportunity to hone their skills, and build stronger bonds and a winning mentality within the group.
“This preparation tour will be crucial in helping the team acclimatise to the weather and pitch conditions. We are planning matches at different venues and will gain valuable experience through under-lights training, which I believe will be extremely beneficial for our players.”

Discussing the team’s prospects, Silva said: “Each player has to earn his spot. We are not here to participate; we are here to compete, win games and enjoy the experience. The strength of this squad lies in the balance we have built, combining experienced senior players with exciting young talent.”
Hong Kong qualified for the tournament via last year’s ACC Premier Cup, in which they defeated Nepal in the third-place play-off. This will be Hong Kong’s fifth appearance in the Asia Cup, having previously featured in 2004, 2008, 2018 and 2022.
Defending champions India on Tuesday named top-order batter Shubman Gill and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in their squad.
However, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer did not make the cut in the 15-member squad led by Suryakumar Yadav.
India’s Test captain Gill has not played a T20 International since July last year when he was Yadav’s deputy on the tour of Sri Lanka.
“That’s where we started a new cycle,” said Yadav, who took over the T20 captaincy from Rohit Sharma after India won the 20-overs World Cup title last year.
“After that he got busy with all the Test series and he didn’t get an opportunity to play T20s because he was busy playing Test cricket and Champions Trophy.
“So he’s there in the squad and we’re happy to have him.”
India also included Bumrah, whose workload has been a major concern. He played in three of the five Tests in England earlier this year.
Hong Kong squad for Asia Cup
Yasim Murtaza (captain), Babar Hayat (vice-captain), Zeeshan Ali (wicketkeeper), Haroon Arshad, Kalhan Challu, Martin Coetzee, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ali Hassan, Ateeq Iqbal, Aizaz Khan, Anas Khan, Ehsan Khan, Nizakat Khan, Adil Mehmood, Nasrulla Rana, Anshuman Rath, Kinchit Shah, Ayush Ashish Shukla, Mohammad Waheed, Shahid Wasif (WK)
Additional reporting by Reuters


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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}New coach Kaushal Silva names 20-man squad for September’s T20 tournament

New coach Kaushal Silva names 20-man squad for September’s T20 tournament