Gary Stead is back on the New Zealand Cricket payroll, this time as high-performance coach. The role, announced on Thursday, is part-time – roughly three days a week – and lets him keep freelancing, including the head-coach gig he has just picked up with Andhra in India’s domestic first-class competition.
Stead left the Black Caps in June after seven years in charge, a period that delivered the inaugural World Test Championship title and, more quietly, a string of top-three finishes across formats. Now, according to NZC, his brief is to “support player and coach development, as well as high performance programmes”.
“New Zealand cricket’s very much been at my heart for the past 30 odd years and to be able to keep contributing to the game I love is really special,” Stead said. “I’m still passionate about coaching and trying to help people learn and improve. If I can pass on some of my skills and experiences to the wider cricket network and in turn help the BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS win on the world stage – than that would be really satisfying. I’m also appreciative of the opportunity to work outside of NZC to broaden my skills and experiences and hopefully I can bring what I learn back into our cricket environment.”
In practical terms, Stead’s NZC days will be spent moving between national camps, domestic programmes and the age-group pathway. He has already lent a hand to Otago during their winter pre-season and spent time with the New Zealand Under-19 squad earlier this month.
“Gary’s knowledge and experiences in cricket is immense and the fact he’s still passionate and motivated to give back to the game in this country speaks volumes about his character,” high-performance boss Daryl Gibson said. “His role, which is a commitment of three days a week on average over the year, will see him work across much of the high-performance network, allowing our national and domestic coaches, players and staff to tap into his expertise and IP. Gary is also able to work outside of NZC, such as his recent part-time appointment to the Indian domestic side Andhra for their upcoming four-day competition, an experience which will allow him to further grow his knowledge and experience.”
A quick recap of Stead’s CV shows why NZC were happy to keep him in the system. After a stint as coach-development manager (2004-09) he ran the women’s national side, steered Canterbury to domestic titles and then guided the men’s team through its most productive Test era. A lighter schedule should give him space to share that know-how without the grind of full-time touring – and, NZC hope, keep him in the national conversation a little while longer.
