Nizakat Khan, Hong Kong’s second-highest T20I run scorer, is missing as he takes a tentative step back from international cricket.

The gifted 18-year-old middle-order batsman, Shiv Mathur, meanwhile, is beginning his economics degree at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Silva said that Mathur was “still in our system”, and that in the United States he would join coaching camps, adhere to Hong Kong-prescribed gym programmes and play club cricket.

“He’ll be in touch with cricket, and with me,” Silva said. “We’ll be getting him on board whenever he’s available. He’s the future for Hong Kong cricket and we don’t want to lose him.”

If Mathur is a diamond in the rough, Silva wants to see the day when Hong Kong boasts a glittering cast of young prospects.

A former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman, whose 39 Tests yielded centuries against Bangladesh, Pakistan and Australia, Silva said: “[Producing more players] is the main thing in my job. The vision is to have 15 to 20 who can compete at international level and, if needed, immediately replace some of these players”.

Silva acknowledged that Hong Kong’s limited domestic structure was working against him, and that “the number of players we’re producing is not what we need”.

Along with his Cricket Hong Kong, China bosses, he plans to send “A” teams on more tours, and field promising players more frequently in one-day fixtures where “the ranking doesn’t matter as much as in T20Is”.

“Getting the next generation of players international exposure, then transitioning them to the [senior] team is important,” Silva said.

Hong Kong have had to quickly erase the disappointment of rain washing out their Asian Games quarter-final against Pakistan, who progressed as the higher-ranked team.

“I’m from a Test-playing nation, but I feel the struggles and challenges that associate nations are going through,” Silva said. “These opportunities to showcase our talents, and see where we are against high-quality teams, matter a lot.

“I think things can be changed and arranged in a way that’s beneficial for both teams.”

Anshy Rath, the dependable opening batsman, advocated for reserve days to be introduced to the quadrennial Games tournament, after Hong Kong played seven matches, including qualifiers, to book what would have been a marquee date with world No 6 Pakistan. The city team are down at No 24 in the global standings.

Nonetheless, left-hander Rath, 28, said the “pretty good cricket” Hong Kong have mustered of late had delivered “positives going into the World Cup qualifiers”.

Having seen his team “start to fight” in recent tournaments, Silva warmed to that theme.

At the ACC Premier Cup last month, where they finished third, Hong Kong recovered from a seemingly hopeless position to beat Malaysia following a super over. In an earlier victory over world No 17 Nepal, Babar Hayat and Ehsan Khan added an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 128 to lift Hong Kong from the depths of 133 for seven.

Equally, the pronounced dips that Hong Kong have experienced in the past few years are becoming fewer and further between.

“We’re showing lots of character, and playing together as a team,” Silva said. “There’s still room to grow, so that we’re more consistent, because we can still be up and down.”

A member of the 2016 T20 World Cup team as an 18-year-old, Rath credited Silva’s ability to “manage different cultures” for uniting a dressing room that has been known to splinter.

“[Silva] cares about everyone, not just his star players, and he treats everybody the same”, Rath said, adding that he had not known a more unified squad since his international debut 12 years ago.

“When you’ve been around for as long as some of us have, you tend to let go of the small things.

“The core group has been through thick and thin together, and relationships build over time. Kaushal is a very good man to guide us with his expertise. When you add that to some of the talented individuals we have, cricket in Hong Kong is on the right path.”

Beginning their T20 qualifying campaign against hosts Malaysia on Thursday, Hong Kong will have to banish the demons from a startling collapse against the same opponents two years ago that cost them their chance to reach this year’s T20 World Cup.

The top two from a group that also features China, Saudi Arabia, the Maldives and Singapore advance to the next stage.

“This is crucial for us,” said Silva, who acknowledged that competing in Australia and New Zealand in two years would “benefit our board financially, generate lots of recognition for the sport in Hong Kong, and help at grass-roots level”.

“World Cups provide immense exposure, and being there would encourage more people in Hong Kong to start following cricket and falling in love with it”.

Destined to leapfrog Nizakat Khan and, in time, Hayat, to become Hong Kong’s leading T20I run scorer, Rath will shoulder a lot of responsibility in Malaysia.

“We’re believing in ourselves and not worrying about the opposition,” he said. “We’re going in with the attitude that if we play our good cricket, we can beat anyone.”