Yorkshire are set to announce that their club captain, Andrew Gale, has been appointed as successor to Jason Gillespie in the role of first-team coach.

The 32-year-old Gale, who alongside the former Australia fast bowler masterminded the club’s back-to-back County Championship titles in 2014 and 2015, is understood to have accepted the position after Martyn Moxon, the Yorkshire director of cricket, confirmed on Friday that a decision has been reached.

It remains to be seen whether Gale will continue both as captain and player when the announcement is made on Monday, with the opportunity coming for him in his early 30s but after a campaign in which he averaged just 21 in first-class cricket. He made only fleeting limited overs appearances last season after Alex Lees was handed captaincy of the white ball teams the previous winter.

Moxon stated his confidence in a process in which a reported 20 applicants were considered but which has resulted in an appointment from within the club itself. It represents something of a surprise given Gale’s only related experience comes in the shape of a cricket coaching company he runs outside his playing career.

“I think the appointment we’re making is 100% right for the club,” Moxon told the Yorkshire Post. “We had a number of really good candidates apply, with varying degrees of experience, and I sought views on a number of applicants and potential incumbents. Now we’ve come to a decision, and we’re very happy with the choice that we’ve made.”

Yorkshire were understood to have sounded out Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach who has previously operated as the club’s second-team coach, at the end of the county summer. They have also been keen to maintain the dressing room environment fostered under Gillespie, which has been credited for underpinning a five-year run that began with immediate promotion before their two championship victories.

The decision to accept the position represents something of a U-turn from Gale. He told the Guardian in August that such an opportunity would be too soon for him when he was asked about the possibility of taking the step up into coaching following the announcement that Gillespie was returning to his native Australia.

Gale said: “I want to go into coaching but I want to learn my trade first. I have ambitions for playing another year or two, the time is not right for me. Captain and coach are too different and too many players make that switch to the top job without learning what kind of a coach they are first.”