Stead to step down as New Zealand coach after seven years at the end of June

AFP | Wellington

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Gary Stead will stand down as Black Caps coach at the end of June, New Zealand Cricket said yesterday, bringing to an end a highly successful seven-year reign that included the capture of the inaugural World Test Championship title.

The 53-year-old stood down as coach of the country’s white ball teams in April and his desire to spend less time on tour ultimately did not marry with NZC’s aspiration to have one coach across all formats.

“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,” he said in a NZC statement.

“It’s been nice to be competitive across all three formats and I’d like to think that regardless of results, the opposition know the Black Caps are a team that won’t fold.”

Stead said the World Test Championship triumph in 2021 and New Zealand’s 3-0 sweep of India on the sub-continent last year were the highlights of his time in charge.

New Zealand also finished as runner-up on boundary countback at the 2019 50-overs World Cup, runner-up at the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup as well as at the Champions Trophy, earlier this year.

The Black Caps topped the Test and ODI rankings and reached the semifinals at two other white-ball World Cups during his time in charge. “For a country with five million people and limited resources, we comparatively perform outstandingly well against the other powerhouses of the game,” Stead added.