Gary Stead reflects on his stint as New Zealand head coach

From 2018 to 2025, the New Zealand squad accomplished some great exploits, propelling them to the forefront of international cricket competition. All of this happened during Gary Stead’s term as BlackCaps head coach, which ended on June 4.

During Gary Stead term as coach, the New Zealand squad won the maiden World Test Championship in 2021 and defeated India at home for the first time. However, there were also devastating moments during his tenure, including England’s defeat in the 2019 ODI World Cup final. This was one of the most contentious World Cup finals ever, with the Kane Williamson-led side losing on a boundary count after the super over was tied. Stead has also spoken openly about the loss and how the team ultimately recovered.

“I am sure there were frustrations in the group and on the team. I believe when you look at it all together, it was an incredible game of cricket; both teams scored the same number of runs. I think it demonstrated the evenness of the competition, and it’s unfortunate that there has to be a winner and a loser in that situation, but we were fortunate in that we had to move on swiftly,” Stead said in an interview with Arvind Kalyana Krishnan, as reported by Cricblog.

“We had a series in Sri Lanka that we needed to go to, so that’s the way it is with international cricket. The world moves quickly, so while it was very disappointing, I think it was a good thing that we were playing cricket again soon, and we could move on and look, time heals over that period, and while it can still be difficult to talk about because I thought we played very well that day. “You have to get on with it and accept that those were the rules that day,” Stead continued.

Rob Walter replaces Gary Stead

The replacement for Stead has been announced, and it will be Rob Walter who will be taking the reins as the head coach of the BlackCaps. Walter has a lot of experience as coach and was last seen as the coach of the South African cricket team from January 2023 until 30 April 2025. The 49-year-old is now under contract with the Kiwis up until 2028.