Gary Stead is contracted as Black Caps head coach until June 2025.
New Zealand Cricket will need to be smart in appointing a new coach, given the challenges of the modern game.
A decision will have to be made as to whether the appointment is made from the domestic coaching stocks or overseas.
With Gary Stead’s current contract with New Zealand Cricket coming to an end in the middle of 2025, both parties face a choice as to whether or not to continue.
All up, Stead has helmed some of the Black Caps’ most memorable victories. The 52-year-old has ledNew Zealand to world tournament finals in all three forms of the game, and won the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021.
However, there is increasing sentiment that change might be necessary, given home test series losses to Australia and England in 2024, and the Black Caps’ horrible showing at the T20 World Cup.
The likes of Brendon McCullum, Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond would be dream appointments, but it’s highly unlikely that they’d leave their lucrative overseas jobs to be paid in national pride.
But should change be on the cards, here’s who New Zealand Cricket could turn to:
Jason Gillespie
Current job: Unemployed
The Australian great is currently back on the market, after unceremoniously resigning as head coach of Pakistan in December.
That’s not a blot on his CV, the 49-year-old is hardly the first coach to experience turmoil with Pakistan, and won’t be the last either.
Head coaching at domestic level has seen success in England and Australia and, most significantly, he’s worked with Kane Williamson during his time at Yorkshire.
Convincing players like Williamson to remain committed to internationals will be a key challenge for whoever is coaching the Black Caps in this era of franchise cricket.
What’s more, as seen with Australian-based White Ferns coach Ben Sawyer, NZ Cricket are clearly accepting of coaches living abroad, meaning Gillespie wouldn’t even have to relocate.
While he could be considered an unlikely appointment given his standing in the game, and NZ Cricket’s financial status, mountains should be moved to tempt Gillespie across the Tasman.
Heinrich Malan
Current job: Ireland
Born in South Africa, and having previously coached the likes of Central Districts and Auckland, Malan was the man who missed out to Stead when he first got the job.
Since then, Malan has headed abroad to Ireland, in order to gain international experience that could put him in a better position to apply for a job like the Black Caps, if it were to come around again.
Former Central Districts coach Heinrich Malan. Photo / NZ Herald
While coaching in New Zealand, Malan won every trophy available at least once with Central Districts - the Plunket Shield, Ford Trophy and Super Smash - and added another 50-over trophy in his time with Auckland.
Hiring a coach from a smaller international side - with the greatest respect to Ireland - worked wonders for NZ Cricket when appointing Mike Hesson after his work with Kenya.
While he might not be as big a name as Gillespie, Malan would be a very solid hire if that’s how NZ Cricket go.
Matthew Mott
Current job: Unemployed
It’s understood that Australian Matthew Mott has twice been in the running to coach the Black Caps - in both 2008 and 2012. However, it could be third time’s a charm for the 51-year-old.
After domestic experience in both Australia and England, with New South Wales and Glamorgan respectively, Mott’s step up to international cricket resulted in success in both hemispheres.
With Australia’s women’s team, Mott won everything there was to win, including the 50-over World Cup, two separate T20 World Cups, and four Ashes series. What’s more, his tenure with Australia saw a record 26-match winning streak in ODIs.
In 2022, when England split their coaching roles, Mott took on the white ball role in parallel with Brendon McCullum taking charge of the test side.
However, although he lifted the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, a downturn in results did see Mott sacked halfway through his contract.
Would there be bad blood between Mott and NZ Cricket after two failed recruitment attempts? Possibly.
But given his record, the Black Caps could do a lot worse than getting a proven winner, looking to show he belongs at the highest level.
Glenn Pocknall
Current job: Central Districts
Arguably the best option among people currently coaching within New Zealand.
Pocknall has come up through the grades of coaching in Aotearoa, currently with Central Districts, but also boasts New Zealand “A” and Wellington on his CV.
In 2021, Pocknall served as interim coach of a rotated Black Caps side on a white ball tour of Bangladesh.
Gary Stead and Glenn Pocknall. Photo / Photosport
And while they may have gone down 3-2, it was a better scoreline than the 4-1 loss handed to Australia by the same opponents months earlier.
Pocknall is a known developer of talent, and would bring a wealth of knowledge on the current state of domestic cricket, including the next generation coming through.
It could just be a perfect match for a Black Caps side transitioning out of its golden generation.
Luke Ronchi
Current job: Black Caps (batting coach)
As seen when Stead was appointed to succeed Hesson in the first place, continuity of ideas and culture is a crucial factor in deciding where NZ Cricket might look next.
In that case, current batting coach Luke Ronchi would also loom as a potential candidate.
He already knows all the systems that have seen the Black Caps succeed in Stead’s tenure, and was a player in Hesson’s system that began the rise.
While he doesn’t get the credit he deserves, Stead should be considered among the best coaches New Zealand has had, and might ever have again.
So in a Graham Henry-Steve Hansen-Ian Foster chain of events, Ronchi could also be tasked with stepping up the ladder to succeed his current boss.
Whether or not he wants to be a head coach, or continue in assistant roles, will be up to Ronchi.
