New Zealand name Gary Stead as the new head coach

As Mike Hesson decided to step down from his position of the head coach of the New Zealand cricket team, New Zealand Cricket named former Blackcap cricketer, Gary Stead as his successor for the top post. Stead who has quite some first-class cricket experience behind his back played five Tests for his country in 1999.

Furthermore, he also has a fair amount of experience as the coach. He was at the helm when the New Zealand Women’s team made it to the World Cup final in 2009. Stead played 101 first-class games and scored 4,984 runs at an average of 32. He also helped Canterbury win three Plunkett Shield titles.

The position of head coach was vacant from June this year. Mike Hesson, who held the responsibility since 2012 decided to bid adieu to the team as he wanted to take a break from the rigorous international schedule. Hesson cited that he wanted to spend more time with family as one of the reasons for quitting the job. He also added that he didn’t have the capacity to deliver at par with the demands of the job.

Stead to take charge from September

The former New Zealand batsman, Gary Stead, has inked a two-year contract and will begin his duties from September. His first assignment will be the series against Pakistan in the UAE in October. Stead also shared some insights about his plans going forward. He seemed all excited about the new job and looked eager to work in tandem with skipper Kane Williamson.

“It’s a matter of helping maintain New Zealand’s strong form on the international scene, but also respecting what’s happened over the past four or five years by continuing to push for improvement,” Stead said talking about his plans ahead.

For all the latest cricket news and other updates follow CricTracker.