Glen Chapple's successor at Old Trafford departs after two years at Bristol which included relegation from County Championship Division One and reaching the One-Day Cup semi-finals
Lancashire have confirmed the appointment of Dale Benkenstein as their new head coach, signalling his departure from Gloucestershire.
Revealed to be among those in the frame for the role by The Cricketer this week, the South African succeeds Glen Chapple, who left the club after 31 years of service at the end of last season.
It brings an end to Benkenstein's two years at Bristol which included relegation from County Championship Division One and reaching the One-Day Cup semi-finals.
He also served as head coach at Hampshire between 2014 and 2016, guiding the club to Division One promotion and two T20 Blast Finals Day appearances, later serving as batting coach at Lancashire on a short-term basis.
Despite a trialling period with Gloucestershire, Benkenstein enjoyed a bright spell at Hampshire (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
"Lancashire is a county that I've always admired for doing things the right way and has always produced teams that are resilient and difficult to beat," said the 49-year-old, who represented South Africa in 23 one-day internationals.
"It is a hugely talented group of players to work with and I am really excited to be part of that and to bring my own vision to Emirates Old Trafford.
"It's a new challenge for me personally and one which I can't wait to get stuck into. I am looking forward to meeting the players and staff in the new year and continuing the squad's preparations ahead of the upcoming campaign."
It leaves Gloucestershire, already with a thread-bare coaching team after bowling coach Robbie Joseph departed to Kent, searching for their fourth head coach in less than three years.
Richard Dawson left the club in March 2021 for the ECB and was replaced on an interim basis by Ian Harvey. Benkenstein then took over as permanent coach at the end of the year.
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