Lancashire have announced former captain Dane Vilas will retire from county cricket at the end of the season.

Vilas joined the club ahead of the 2017 season on a Kolpak deal, effectively ending his South Africa career after half a dozen Tests and a solitary T20 appearance.

The 38-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, who became an overseas player in 2021, has played exactly 600 matches in his career across all formats since his debut in 2006, amassing almost 20,000 runs.

He assumed leadership responsibilities before the 2019 campaign, leading Lancashire back into Division One of the County Championship at the first attempt, and held on to the captaincy for four years.

“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,” said Vilas, who will play in the SA20 competition in the new year.

“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.

“It was one of the greatest honours of my career to be named captain of the Red Rose. I would like to thank everybody who has been on this journey with me.”