New Zealand extend Head Coach Gary Stead's contract until mid-2025

He will remain the coach of 'The Blackcaps' till the next WTC final.

Gary Stead will continue as the head coach for the New Zealand men's cricket team until the conclusion of the World Test Championship 2023-25. Stead is probably the most successful coach in the history of New Zealand cricket, having coached the national side to win the inaugural WTC in 2021, beating India in the final. New Zealand also played in the finals of the 2019 ODI World Cup and the 2021 T20 World Cup when he was the head coach.

Stead started his journey as New Zealand's head coach in 2018 with a two-year contract. Later, the New Zealand Cricket Board renewed his contract until the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. And now the cricket board has confirmed that the former Kiwi opener will remain in this position until the next cycle of the World Test Championship.

New Zealand won the Inaugural World Test Championship under Gary Stead in 2021

In its latest press release, NZC confirmed the reappointment of Gary Stead as head coach. The Board said, "First appointed for a two-year term in late 2018, Stead had his contract renewed in 2020 until the end of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in India, and will now stay on until the conclusion of the current World Test Championship cycle, in June 2025."

This decision was taken after a lot of meetings and discussions between the board members, and they came to the conclusion that the 51-year-old should continue to serve as the head coach. Bryan Stronach, the GM of High Performance of New Zealand Cricket, said that the 51-year-old got a lot of support from players and support staff, which is good to see, and the result is also pretty good under him. Bryan also confirmed that the split coaching option was also discussed, and they are open to fresh ideas and coaches with a specialist skillset in the future.

Coaches with specialist skillsets are normal, as many international teams have separate batting, bowling, and fielding coaches along with the head coach. Stephen Fleming, Shane Bond, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Luke Wright are some prime examples of this. On the other hand, NZC Chief Executive David White also showed his satisfaction with the reappointment of Stead. He said, "Several months of discussions and consultation preceded this decision and, as CEO, I am very satisfied, all options were well considered. I am very pleased for Gary Stead. He has the support and trust of the players."

Meanwhile, New Zealand's Test captain, Tim Southee, stated that the role of the head coach in the team is to manage the workload in modern-day cricket. He said that with the amount of cricket being played, it is very important to manage people and their workloads, which is when a head coach is required. New Zealand will play in the ICC T20 World Cup in June/July 2024, and the ICC ODI Champions Trophy in February-March 2025 with Gary Stead as head coach now.