Dane’s losses are kept in perspective
DANE Vilas was heading into the summer of 2020 hoping to have what could have been the best season of his career.
The coronavirus pandemic has put paid to that.
The Lancashire captain is facing a summer without cricket, without the chance of leading the Red Rose to what many expected would be a potential County Championship-winning campaign, the chance to make history by playing in the inaugural Hundred for the Manchester Originals and with it the chance to earn £125,000 having been drafted in the first round for the ECB’s new competition.
What he has lost is, of course, nothing in comparison to the pain being suffered around the country caused by Covid-19.
And although disappointed and frustrated at not being able to ply his trade out in the middle at the moment, Vilas is philosophical about the situation.
He said: “It’s a hard pill to swallow, but there are bigger issues around the world.
“I’ve gone from probably having my best year ever financially with a really nice contract to nothing.
“But I think people have and will lose a huge amount more. To look at yourself on an individual basis, you can’t really do that.
“In sport, it’s never yours until it’s in your hands or you’ve played and won the tournament.
“There’s things like that happen all the time that you need to be aware of.”
A further complication for South African Vilas is that if Brexit is completed in December as planned, he could lose his Kolpak status. However, he has been told by Lancashire they will retain him next season as an overseas player.
But he says the fact some of the squad who are coming to the end of their contracts with the club this season is a concern, especially with no or limited chance to get on the field to earn an extension.
He said: “Some guys are on a one-year deal and may not have the opportunity to prove themselves once again and push for an extension. That is a major concern.
“It is tough, it is hard. You are always living on the edge with contracts. But not going out to play makes it worse.
“I’m lucky, I extended last year. I have a few more years left at Lancashire.”
Vilas had a stunning first year as captain at Lancashire, guiding them to the Second Division title.
And after what he called ‘the best pre-season he has seen a squad have’ he was confident of a big season for the Red Rose.
However, with all cricket suspended until July 1, and with international cricket taking priority, Vilas knows there may be no Championship cricket at all this summer.
He said: “I am optimistic we will get some cricket. It would be great for the fans too to watch something.
“We need to make sure we do the right things, and we will go out when it is safe for all involved.
“With the logisitics of four-day cricket, it would be so hard to get that right. Not just the playing but moving people around, so T20 would be the best format.
“It is the most viewed in terms of the public so if we only going to play one it would be that.
“All the players understand the situation and I think we would take anything at this stage.
“We were looking forward to the season. All the guys were motivated, I have never seen a group of guys work so hard in preseason and then to be cut short is really tough.”
And with no date yet set for the season to start - if it does - Vilas admits it has been difficult to stay motivated.
He said: “That is the hardest part. If you set a goal or a target, something to aim for, you push yourself to that thing.
“But we don’t know where the end is, it is hard to keep pushing and motivate yourself. It is difficult.”
Lancashire are one of only two counties along with Surrey who have not furloughed their players although they have taken a pay cut for April and May along with all the staff at Emirates Old Trafford.
It does, however, mean they could soon start to have netting practice on a one-to-one basis under the government’s latest social distancing guidelines.
In recent days several footballers have raised safety concerns as moves are made for the return of the Premier League.
And although Vilas believes the counties would put in place ‘brilliant measures’ if they are given the go-ahead to resume practice and eventually to play, he can understand some of the concerns raised.
He said: “There will be testing, sanitisers all over the place almost like a lab and we need to be vigilant.
“At no stage do you want any player unsure of their safety, because safety is the number one concern for all of us.
“You can never hold a grudge or use it against someone and it’s important to be aware of that situation if they don’t want to play.
“If any players are not there mentally then they’re not going to perform to the best of their abilities on the field.”