Dane Vilas appointed Middlesex interim head coach following the ouster of Richard Johnson from the position.
Dane Vilas, a former South African batsman and wicketkeeper, has been named Middlesex’s temporary first-team coach for the end of the current campaign. The move comes two days after Richard Johnson departed after three-and-a-half seasons in the role.
Vilas, 40, played in the SA20 but retired from first-class cricket at the end of the 2023 season after seven years with Lancashire. He will assume leadership of Middlesex immediately after having been stationed in London for a while.
With just two victories in their first seven games, the team is now in third place in Division Two of the County Championship. In the Blast, they are in a similar situation after winning Thursday night, just before Vilas’ appointment was made public, for just the second time this season.
“I am delighted to welcome Dane to the club as our Interim first-team coach,” Middlesex’s director of cricket, Alan Coleman, said. “He has a wealth of experience to offer our squad, and I believe that we will all benefit from his presence and leadership across the rest of this season.
“Though Dane is still early in his coaching career, having only finished playing for Lancashire in 2023, I am confident that his leadership presence, competitive edge and experience of all formats, including franchise cricket, will have a huge impact on our squad.
“It is the leadership qualities that were evident when he captained Lancashire that drew me towards Dane. The teams that he has led played hard, committed, never-say-die cricket and I believe that is a style that will resonate well with our players, staff group and members.
“Dane will be supported by what I believe is an exceptional coaching team of Rory Coutts, Tim Murtagh and Ian Salisbury, who all bring variety and wide-ranging knowledge to our team.
“I am sure you will all joining me in welcoming Dane over the coming weeks as we look forward to the rest of our season. There is still a lot to play for and I am excited to see where our talented playing group can take us.”
Vilas said: “It’s an absolute honour to be here. Lord’s is such a special place and I’m looking forward to getting started with the squad. The potential is endless for the group and I’ll be keen to harness that and help grow their careers.
“I’ve got good relationships with Rory Coutts, Tim Murtagh and Ian Salisbury, so to have the four of us together is fantastic and I’m really looking forward to it.”