Dane Vilas announces Lancashire departure
South African calls time on county career after seven seasons with Red Rose
ESPNcricinfo staff
14-Aug-2023
Dane Vilas has been a Lancashire stalwart since joining in 2017 • Lancashire CCC
Dane Vilas, the former South Africa wicketkeeper, will leave Lancashire at the end of the season after a seven-year spell in the county game.
Vilas, 38, is set to wind down his first-class career, which began in 2006 and saw him capped six times in Tests, although he is expected to play in the 2023-24 SA20. He joined Lancashire as a Kolpak player in 2017 and captained the club for more than four seasons, leading them to T20 Finals Day three times and the Championship runners-up spot in 2021 and 2022.
He relinquished the captaincy earlier this year but has averaged 16.83 in the Championship and only played five times in the Blast, as Lancashire brought in Daryl Mitchell and Colin de Grandhomme to add to their overseas options.
Overall, Vilas has scored 4277 runs at 38.88 in 85 first-class appearances for Lancashire, which included a career-best 266 at Colwyn Bay as the club won promotion from Division Two in 2019. In T20 cricket, he made 1494 runs at a strike rate of 136.43, while in List A he currently averages 53.48 with four hundreds.
"It has been an extremely difficult decision to call time on my county cricket career and one that I have thought long and hard about," Vilas said. "However, I feel that the end of this season is the right time for me and for my family.
"I have enjoyed a fantastic career, from making my first-class debut for Gauteng in 2006, to the honour and pride of playing Test match cricket for South Africa, before moving to the UK in 2017 to take on a new challenge and making Emirates Old Trafford my home for the last seven seasons.
"It was one of the greatest honours of my career to be named captain of the Red Rose, to lead a brilliant group of players for four seasons and to represent our Members and supporters - who have all been amazing to me, and my family, throughout my time at the Club.
"I would like to thank everybody who has been on this journey with me not only at Lancashire but also for the last 17 years, from my family and friends to all of the players and coaches who I have shared a dressing room with."