Wellington, September 26 (HS): Former New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has taken up a new role in High-Performance Coaching at New Zealand Cricket (NZC), where he will focus on nurturing upcoming players and coaches while advancing the board’s high-performance programmes.

Stead, who earlier this year completed an eight-year tenure as head coach of the Black Caps, takes on fresh responsibilities within the organisation he has been associated with for nearly 34 years. Under his leadership, New Zealand won the World Test Championship in 2021, reached the finals of the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy, in addition to recording a historic whitewash victory against India last year.

As a player, Stead represented New Zealand in five Test matches and featured in over 100 first-class and List A games before transitioning into coaching. His coaching journey spans multiple roles within NZC:

2004–2009 – Coach Development Managed

2005–2006 – Assistant Coach at the NZC Academic

2009–2012 – Head Coach of the New Zealand Women’s team

Later served as Director of Cricket for Canterbury for six Years

Appointed as head coach of the New Zealand men’s team in 2018

Speaking about his new appointment, Stead said his passion for coaching remains as strong as ever. “New Zealand Cricket is very close to my heart, and staying connected to the game in this way is incredibly special for me. If I can use my skills and experience to help players and coaches succeed, and support both the Black Caps and White Ferns in achieving success on the world stage, that will give me immense satisfaction,” he remarked.Interestingly, Stead was also recently named head coach of Andhra for the upcoming 2025–26 Ranji Trophy season. He expressed gratitude to NZC for allowing him the flexibility to work outside the organisation as well, saying it enables him to broaden his horizons and bring new learnings back into the New Zealand cricket system.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar