An announcement over the future of Gary Stead will be made this week, on Tuesday at the earliest, as the Black Caps coach’s contract ticks closer to expiry.
With no international cricket for the Black Caps scheduled before the end of Stead’s contract in June, there is an increasing possibility the 53-year-old has coached his final match for his country. New Zealand’s men don’t play again until July when the Black Caps travel to Zimbabwe for two tests.
That means, unless Stead and NZ Cricket agree terms on a new contract, the Black Caps will take the field in Bulawayo under new leadership.
When asked by the Herald about Stead’s future, a spokesperson said clarity will come as early as tomorrow. Options range from Stead staying on as head coach, stepping back from the role, or potentially splitting the Black Caps job into separate red and white ball jobs.
In 2023, when Stead extended his contract through to mid-2025, a split coaching set-up was rejected. That came in spite of Stead himself suggesting splitting the role.
However, given most Black Caps are all-format players, the notion of more than one coach wasn’t found to be in the interests of the team.
Since he succeeded Mike Hesson in 2018, there’s a credible argument to make that Stead is the best coach the Black Caps have had. In the seven years since, the Black Caps have reached finals in all three forms of the game and won the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021.
In test cricket in particular, Stead has largely continued Hesson’s work in turning New Zealand into one of the world’s best sides. His 23 series yielded 11 victories, notably away to Pakistan in the UAE in 2018, England in 2021, and last year’s famous 3-0 sweep of India.
And while the Black Caps have traditionally been a strong white-ball side, Stead also led New Zealand to the 2019 World Cup final, 2021 T20 World Cup final, before this year’s Champions Trophy final loss to India.
Coaching in cricket is much different from what it might be in other sports. Tactical decisions are largely left to the captain on the field, who reacts to the situation in front of them.
The coach is effectively left to manage what happens off field and facilitate a team environment that gets the best out of players.
In that sense, Stead’s job with the Black Caps for the better part of the past decade has been world class. What’s more, he’s also had to contend with the changing international game, where it’s becoming less and less in a player’s interests to choose country over club.
Whether Stead wants to stay is another piece of the puzzle.
In October, NZ Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink was asked about Stead’s future, as his contract edged towards expiry. In response, Weenink said the coach “absolutely has my full support and confidence”. That, too, came before the series win over India and Champions Trophy success.
But, regardless of who the coach is, this will be a period of transition for the Black Caps. Of the side that won the World Test Championship, five have now retired. Another three – Kane Williamson, Devon Conway and Trent Boult – have opted out of central contracts.
And considering Henry Nicholls has fallen down the international pecking order, test captain Tom Latham and injury-hit fast bowler Kyle Jamieson are the only two members of that title-winning side still in the mix for national selection.
However, those losses have largely been offset by a promising core of players stepping up from domestic level, with the likes of Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips and Will O’Rourke becoming all-format regulars.
Should Stead leave and a new coach take his place, they’ll have an enviable pool of players from which the Black Caps’ future can be built.
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.