Lancashire to appoint Gloucestershire's Dale Benkenstein as head coach

Lancashire are on the verge of appointing Gloucestershire’s Dale Benkenstein as their new head coach.

Lancashire, one of the most financially powerful counties in the English game, have been on the hunt for a new head coach since club stalwart Glen Chapple stepped down at the end of last season after seven campaigns at the helm.

Their search has identified 49-year-old South African Benkenstein as the preferred candidate, and negotiations are ongoing between the coach and the two clubs.

Benkenstein has previously worked as head coach at Hampshire, as South Africa’s batting coach, and as a batting consultant on a short-term deal at Lancashire in 2021. As a player, he played 23 one-day internationals for the Proteas and was a batting stalwart for Durham.

Benkenstein’s son Luc is on Essex’s books and has made England’s squad for next month’s Under-19 World Cup.

Others interested in the role included Carl Crowe, Lancashire’s assistant coach who will now work under Benkenstein, while it is thought that Australians Darren Lehmann and Simon Katich were among those sounded out in the initial process.

The move leaves Gloucestershire appearing to need an overhaul of their coaching staff following the departure of Benkenstein and bowling coach Robbie Joseph for Kent last week. Benkenstein has been in charge for two of the three years on his contract.

The club made a loss of £500,000 last year and Telegraph Sport revealed recently that they are exploring a move away from the County Ground in Bristol, their home since 1889, in order to secure their financial future.

The other county currently on the hunt for a head coach are Glamorgan. It is understood that Paul Tweddle, an assistant coach at Somerset who was recently seconded to England Lions for a training camp in the United Arab Emirates, is the frontrunner for the role. Previously, Matthew Maynard was head coach in red-ball cricket and Mark Alleyne in limited-overs. Under a new head coach, the roles will be united, but it is expected that Alleyne will stay with the coaching team.