Former Proteas Wicketkeeper Dane Vilas Talks About His Life and Career in Exclusive Interview
Former Proteas wicketkeeper batsman Dane Vilas recently spoke exclusively to The South African, providing great insight into his career and life in the United Kingdom.
A family man, Vilas says that his most cherished cricketing memories were the times when he was able to score runs with his family in attendance.
Cherished Family Moments and Playing for His Country
Vilas is proud of his efforts on the field and values his experience of playing Test cricket for South Africa.
“It would be amiss to say that playing Test cricket for South Africa has to be one of my proudest moments,” Vilas said. “However, the moments I cherish the most were scoring runs with my family there at the ground and being able to single them out in the crowd brought me the most joy.”
Helping Out at Wimbledon
Vilas currently has a connection with the Wimbledon Cricket Club, as he lives in South West London. His mother is a cricket administrator, and Vilas has shown some aptitude for working behind the scenes. While he doesn’t coach at Wimbledon, he helps out with cricket operations, working alongside the Director of Cricket, Jon Speller, managing fixtures and coaches.
His primary coaching role is at home with his nine-year-old son, James, who is passionate about cricket. “I’m not coaching at Wimbledon but more in the cricket operations side of things. Outside of that, my coaching is full-time with my 9-year-old son James, as he is cricket-mad and keen to get down to the club and in the nets all the time.”
SA20: Another Cherished Memory
Vilas’ most recent playing commitment was in the SA20 earlier this year, an event that overlapped with a Test tour to New Zealand. The former Test wicketkeeper isn’t sure if he would have traded the SA20 experience for another Test cap or two in New Zealand.
“I’m not sure,” Vilas said when asked if he would have gone on the trip to New Zealand had he not been committed to SA20 cricket. “I would have loved another opportunity to play for SA again as it’s the pinnacle of our sport. However, saying that, I had a wonderful time playing in the SA20 the last two years. It was and is a hugely successful tournament and it was an amazing experience.”
Differences Between England and South Africa
Having played in both South African and English domestic cricket, Vilas believes the biggest differences come down to player freedom and the pressure to perform. “In SA, players are very dependent on the coaching staff and at times a bit robotic, whereas in the UK players have a bit more freedom and are allowed to express themselves more. Also, players can play longer here in the UK and if you are still performing at a high level there is no ceiling to where you can end up.”
Weather, Balls, and the Schedule
Vilas noted several big differences between domestic cricket in the UK and South Africa. In South Africa, players get more time to prepare and work on their game in-season, while in England the season is full throttle most of the time, constantly switching between formats.
“Obviously the weather plays a big part here in the UK with summer often being very up and down. The biggest difference for me was the noticeable differences in the pitches depending on where you play. We also play with the Dukes cricket ball here in the UK which stays harder for longer, has more swing and a more prominent seam which I think is an overall better ball. The schedule in the UK is also full on, so there isn’t that much time to practice between games, so match play becomes the time when you need to try to work on the things you want to improve.”
Retiring from the Game
Vilas has now retired from cricket and says he will miss the camaraderie of the dressing room and the thrill of competition. “I think if anything I will miss the camaraderie in the changing room and the buzz and adrenaline you get from playing the game. That rush was what started to make me feel sick towards the end of my career, but it will still be something I will miss.”
