Cape Town - Proteas wicketkeeper-batsman Dane Vilas has signed a two-year Kolpak deal with English county side, Lancashire.

Vilas, 31, will join up with Lancashire in March.

Vilas made his Test debut for South Africa against Bangladesh in August 2015 and most recently appeared as a late replacement for Quinton de Kock in the Test series against England in January 2016.

He has played in six Tests and one T20I for the Proteas and 96 first class matches for the Cape Cobras, scoring 7 580 runs at an average of nearly 40.

"Signing a player of Dane's undoubted calibre and experience is a great boost as we continue our preparations ahead of the new season. He has an excellent record in First Class cricket and is a very good wicket keeper," Lancashire coach Glen Chapple told the club's official website.

"Dane's aggressive batting style will see him as an important part of our T20 and one-day sides in 2017, as well as four day cricket."

"Lancashire is one of the biggest clubs in England and I'm really excited about this opportunity to play my cricket at Old Trafford this summer," Vilas said after signing the deal.

"I'm relishing the opportunity of playing county cricket this summer. It's going to be a huge challenge personally and I'm already looking forward to linking up with the squad ahead of the start to the season.

"There are a lot of exciting players in the squad and we'll be hoping to challenge for silverware in all competitions."

This will be a further blow for Cricket South Africa, who have lost several players to Kolpak deals in recent times.

David Wiese, Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw, Colin Ingram, Stiaan van Zyl, Simon Harmer and Hardus Viljoen are other Proteas players who have opted for greener pastures.

Players who sign Kolpak deals in England are unavailable for South Africa in international cricket.