CRICKET: Lancashire captain Dane Vilas signs overseas contract extension

Dane Vilas will now be moving into his 5th year with Lancashire after the club confirmed that he has signed an overseas contract for the 2021 season.

His overseas contract expired in December 2020 as a result of the expiry of the UK’s transition period from the European Union but Lancashire were keen to bring their captain straight back into the fold ahead of the new campaign. 

Vilas became club captain for the 2019 season and in his first year as captain, he helped Lancashire return to County Championship Division One with an unbeaten record.

He showed his importance to the fans and the club that season and has since led the Red Rose to the knockout stages of the limited-overs competition three times.

The experienced 35-year-old is a vital batsman in Lancashire’s cog and is approaching 3,000 First-Class runs in 49 matches for Lancashire, having surpassed 1,000 runs in 2019.

The South-African was delighted to extend his contract with Lancashire for another season, a place he sees as his home despite a few uncertain weeks.

He said: “The potential end of my non-overseas status has been apparent for a while and I’ve worked closely with the Club during that time to explore all available avenues.

“It has been a period of uncertainty but I’m delighted that the situation is finally resolved and I will continue my career at Emirates Old Trafford. I absolutely love playing for Lancashire and see it very much as my home now.”

Lancashire’s Director of Cricket, Paul Allott, also had his say on the good news and was clearly pleased that the contract had been finalised.

He said: “Dane’s future at the Club was never in doubt, such has been his contribution over the last four seasons, but we are pleased to have the clarity around his status as we finalise our plans for 2021.

“Dane’s record in county cricket is first class and as good as anything you would expect from an overseas player, so in many ways it has been a luxury to have him registered without using one of our overseas slots.”

He continued to say: “What cannot be reflected in those statistics is his off-field influence.

“He has been an exceptional leader since first stepping in as captain during 2018 and sets incredibly high standards for the next generation of Red Rose talent to follow.”

“We are considering our options for the remaining overseas place to further strengthen our squad for the upcoming season.”