Gary Stead reappointed New Zealand coach for another three years
Gary Stead has been reappointed as the New Zealand men's head coach for another three years in a deal that takes him to the end of the 2023 World Cup in India.
Stead took the job as Mike Hesson's successor in 2018 and the team reached the final of the 2019 World Cup where they lost on boundary countback against England having tied the match and the Super Over.
There have been suggestions of a strain in the relationship between Stead and captain Kane Williamson but that has been downplayed by both parties.
New Zealand are currently ranked No. 2 in Test cricket, No. 3 in ODIs, 6th in T20Is and sit fourth in the ICC World Test Championship with the final for that event still scheduled for June next year.
Following the postponement of this year's T20 World Cup there will now be major limited-overs events in three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023 with two T20 World Cups followed by the 50-over tournament in India.
"It's an honour and a privilege to be re-appointed", Stead said. "I think this group of players is growing as a team; there's an exciting schedule ahead of us and I know everyone is feeling very optimistic about our chances in all three formats.
"I'm very appreciative of the backing I've enjoyed from the players, the support staff and NZC and hope I can repay that confidence by helping the Blackcaps achieve their goals and objectives over the next three years."
David White, the NZC CEO, said Stead had been interviewed by an appointments panel last week, following which a recommendation had been made to, and had been approved by, the NZC Board.
"What was immediately clear was that Gary had overseen a particularly successful chapter in New Zealand cricket history, during which time his team had been very strong in the Test and ODI formats," White said.
"Winning an away Test series against Pakistan and a Test in Sri Lanka was a tremendous effort, as were the home Test series wins against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England and India.
"To tie the World Cup final and miss out on winning the trophy through a countback was a gut-wrenching experience, but I think we can all agree on how well the team played during that campaign and, equally, how well they conducted themselves afterwards."
New Zealand are expecting to host a full summer of international cricket despite the Covid-19 pandemic with Test series penciled in against West Indies and Pakistan plus limited-overs visits by Bangladesh and Australia.