Gary Stead leaves New Zealand Cricket amid uncertainties

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has officially announced that he will step down from white-ball formats. Stead revealed that he will take the next few weeks to decide whether he wants to reapply for the Test coach role. The Black Caps will appoint a new coach for the team in the limited-overs formats.

Gary Stead became New Zealand's head coach in 2018 following Mike Hesson’s resignation. His contract was extended twice—in 2020 and 2023—and is set to expire in June. Stead led New Zealand to victory in the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) and oversaw a 3-0 Test series clean sweep in India.

I Now Want to Evaluate My Options - Gary Stead

Gary Stead said that he wants to spend more time at home and take a break from travel. Under his tenure, the team reached the finals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the Champions Trophy 2025.

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"I'm looking forward to getting away from touring life for a while and having a think about my future," Stead said.

"The past six to seven months have been particularly busy with relatively non-stop cricket action since September. I now want to evaluate my options, but still feel I have coaching left in me, albeit not as a head coach across all formats."

The Next Month Will Give Me the Opportunity - Gary Stead

The 53-year-old said that he will take some time to decide whether he wants to continue as New Zealand's Test coach. Stead mentioned that he will have conversations with his wife, family, and close contacts to help make that decision.

"The next month will give me the opportunity to discuss the situation more with my wife, family, and others. I'll be in a better position to know whether I want to reapply for the Test coaching position after this time of reflection," Stead said.

Stead has shared coaching responsibilities across formats in recent years. Assistant coach Luke Ronchi led several white-ball series, allowing Stead to take occasional breaks from the demanding international schedule.

Gary's Results Have Been Very Impressive - Bryan Stronach

New Zealand Cricket’s Chief High Performance Officer, Bryan Stronach, said that Gary Stead had earned the right to take time before determining his future. He noted that they will get a clearer direction once the list of applicants is known.

"Gary's results have been very impressive over a long period, and we're very comfortable giving him some time to collect his thoughts and mull things over.

"At the moment, we haven't any strong preference for either a split-coaching role or a sole appointment who covers all three formats, and we're unlikely to be clearer on that until we see who's putting their name forward."

Before becoming head coach of the men’s team, Stead guided the women's team to the final of the 2009 Women’s ODI World Cup, where they lost to England. New Zealand Cricket is set to commence advertising for the coaching role—either in full or split across formats—within the coming week.

Also read: Watch: Zaheer Khan openly stakes claim for India coach role during IPL 2025