Gary Stead, the head coach of New Zealand’s limited-overs cricket teams, has one hell of a doozy. This summer, he’ll retire from that position. His current deal runs out in June. This will signal the end of his recent tenure as the captain of One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 (T20) teams. As he prepares for this transition, Stead is already deeply engaged in imagining his new role. He is in the running to be coach of the Test team.
Now 53, Stead has had an impressive career path in the sport as both a player and coach. He played five Test matches for the Black Caps in 1999 and transitioned into coaching in 2008. His first senior coaching role in football came with New Zealand’s women’s team, which he guided through to 2017. The next year, he became head coach of the men’s team, where he found long-term, historic success.
Stead’s leadership brought New Zealand to the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019, where they faced England in a dramatic match that concluded with a super over at Lord’s. New Zealand put up a brilliant fight, but they ended the tournament one step short, as runners-up. Under his leadership, the team finished as runners-up in the 2021 T20 World Cup. They secured a place in that year’s ICC Champions Trophy finals. Perhaps it’s no surprise that under Stead, New Zealand won the very first World Test Championship in 2021.
As he considers what his next step will be, Stead shared some of his thoughts on what it means to walk away from coaching all formats.
“I now want to evaluate my options but still feel I have coaching left in me, albeit not as head coach across all formats.” – Gary Stead
He expressed excitement about taking a break from the rigorous touring schedule that comes with coaching at the international level.
“I’m looking forward to getting away from touring life for a while and having a think about my future,” – Gary Stead
New Zealand cricket must be excited about the future. Rob Walter has established himself as a fine contender for the role of head coach in the limited-overs format. Selection of the new coach will be critical with youth and experience balancing the phase in for more difficult international competition in the near future.
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