New Zealand head coach steps away from white-ball coaching role

New Zealand head coach, Gary Stead, has announced that he will step away from coaching the white-ball formats, taking some time to reflect on his future. 

Stead, who has been in charge since 2018 after Mike Hesson’s resignation, is also considering whether to reapply for the Test role when his current contract expires in June.

Stead, who has led New Zealand to significant achievements, including winning the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021 and overseeing a historic 3-0 whitewash over India in India, had his contract renewed twice in 2020 and 2023.

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

"My focus has been on finishing the season strongly with a less experienced team. The past six to seven months have been particularly busy with non-stop cricket since September. I now want to evaluate my options but still feel I have coaching left in me, albeit not as Head Coach across all formats," he added. 

Stead revealed that he will spend the next few weeks discussing his future with his wife, family, and others to help him make a well-informed decision regarding his reapplication for the Test coaching role.

Bryan Stronach, New Zealand Cricket’s Chief High-Performance Officer, praised Stead’s performance during his tenure. 

“Gary’s results have been very impressive over a long period, and we’re very comfortable giving him some time to reflect and decide,” Stronach said.

When asked about the future of the coaching role, Stronach mentioned that New Zealand Cricket has not yet decided whether they would prefer a split-coaching role or a single coach to oversee all three formats. 

“We’re unlikely to be clearer on that until we see who puts their name forward,” he added.

New Zealand Cricket confirmed that advertisements for the coaching position would be released within the next week or so.