Gary Stead has stepped down as the Coach of New Zealand after his association with the team for seven years. Having stepped down from his coaching role in White ball formats, Stead bought some time to think about his association with NZC, especially with the new cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) happening for the 2025-27 period.
The 53-year-old had a part in the recently announced Central Contracts of NZC. After Mike Hesson stepped down from his coaching stint in 2018, Stead took over the job and oversaw one of the golden periods of New Zealand cricket, during which they reached the final of both the ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup, as well as the Champions Trophy.
Under Stead, New Zealand became the inaugural WTC Champions in 2021, their first major title win since the ICC Knockouts Tournament in 2000. New Zealand won their first Test series in England in 22 years in 2021 and achieved something unimaginable: a Clean sweep against India in a Test series in 2024.
“There’s been some amazing memories over the past seven years based around a group of fantastic and talented people who have gone out to give their best for their country, each other, and for the fans,” Stead said in the media brief following the end of his association with New Zealand.
Stead drove McCullum and Hesson’s legacy forward
Gary Stead further claimed that his focus was to continue the good work of Brendon McCullum and Hesson, who played a major role in shaping the current Kiwi side. The 53-year-old claimed that his focus was just to make New Zealand a team that consistently delivers results at the highest stage.
“Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson had left the team with strong values and a style of play, and I’ve just tried to build and shape that further to grow our ability to be consistent in everything we do,” added Stead.
With major achievements in ICC Tournaments and Bilateral series, Stead could be considered New Zealand’s greatest coach.
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