Gary Stead Steps Down As New Zealand Coach In White-Ball Cricket

Gary Stead, the head coach of New Zealand, has formally declared his intention to retire from white-ball cricket.

Stead stated that he will determine whether to reapply for the position of Test Coach over the course of the next few weeks.

A new coach will be appointed by the Black Caps to lead the squad in limited-overs form.

In 2018, Gary Stead took over as head coach of New Zealand after Mike Hesson resigned.

New Zealand became the team to break India's dominance at home under Stead

Stead oversaw a 3-0 Test series clean sweep in India and guided New Zealand to victory in the first-ever World Test Championship (WTC).

His contract is scheduled to expire in June after being extended twice, in 2020 and 2023.

Getting away from touring life: Gary Stead says he’ll think about the Test coach role in the coming months

Gary Stead stated that he wants to take a vacation from traveling and spend more time at home. The team made it to the finals of the Champions Trophy 2025, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the 2019 Cricket World Cup during his leadership.

"I'm looking forward to getting away from touring life for a while and having a think about my future. 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,” Stead was quoted by New Zealand cricket.

The 53-year-old stated that he would give it some thought before deciding if he wants to stay on as the Test coach for New Zealand. To help him make that choice, Stead said he will speak with his wife, family, and close friends.

"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 had coached both the men's and women's sides

In recent years, Stead has distributed coaching duties among formats. Stead was able to occasionally take a breather from the rigorous international schedule thanks to the leadership of assistant coach Luke Ronchi in several white-ball series.

Stead led the women's team to the 2009 Women's ODI World Cup final, when they were defeated by England, before taking over as head coach of the men's squad. Within the next week, New Zealand Cricket is expected to start advertising for the coaching position, either fully or in part, across formats.

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