April 8, 2025: New Zealand men’s head coach Gary Stead has officially announced his decision to step down from his role in the white-ball formats, as per the official ICC website. Stead, who was first appointed in 2018 after Mike Hesson’s resignation, will also decide in the coming weeks whether to reapply for the Test coaching role.
Stead’s tenure is widely regarded as one of the most successful in New Zealand’s cricketing history. Under his guidance, the men’s team won the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021 and achieved a historic 3-0 Test series sweep of India on the subcontinent last year. In the white-ball formats, Stead led the team to remarkable performances, including a Cricket World Cup final appearance in 2019, a T20 World Cup final in 2021, and a Champions Trophy final in 2023.
Reflecting on his decision to step down, Stead expressed his desire to spend more time at home. “I’m looking forward to getting away from touring life for a while and having a think about my future,” he said. He also acknowledged the challenges of managing a team with relatively less experience, especially in the past few months, which had been packed with cricket action.
Stead, whose contract has been renewed twice—once in 2020 and again in 2023—will now take time to reflect on his future coaching aspirations. He added that his focus over the next month would be to discuss the situation with his family and evaluate whether he wants to reapply for the Test coaching position.
New Zealand Cricket Chief High Performance Officer Bryan Stronach praised Stead for his impressive results and gave him the space to make his decision. “Gary’s results have been very impressive over a long period, and we’re very comfortable giving him some time to collect his thoughts,” Stronach said.
The search for Stead’s replacement will begin soon, with job advertisements set to be posted this week.