Follow UsGary Steady, the Head Coach of New Zealand, has been given a contract extension of two more years, the cricket board confirmed on Tuesday, July 11.
The 51-year-old's contract was supposed to run until the end of the World Cup in India later this year, and the extension will see him at the helm of affairs across various formats.
Some major tournaments during this period include the T20 World Cup in 2024, the Champions Trophy in 2025 and the current cycle of the World Test Championship Cycle, which is set to run till mid-2025.
The decision follows a long and thorough consultative process during which Stead, arguably New Zealand's most successful men's coach, received unanimous support for continuing in the role.
New Zealand Cricket's GM High-Performance Bryan Stronach said the case for retaining Stead was compelling. "The support for Gary was overwhelmingly positive - from the players, the BLACKCAPS support staff, Major Association coaches and support staff, as well as the New Zealand Cricket Players Association and NZC High-Performance Unit staff," he said in a press release.
"Gary's results have been very impressive, and we're confident that he still has a lot to offer the team. Of course, a big part of this decision came down to whether Gary wanted to continue, and he made it clear his appetite to take this team forward was as keen as ever."
Tim Southee, the skipper of the Test side, lauded Stead's contribution to the team and is excited to have him for an extended period ahead of some marquee events.
"The sheer amount of time players and support staff spend away from family and loved ones makes for a challenging environment. With so much cricket being played these days, being able to effectively manage people and their workloads is a huge part of the job."
"Gary's had great success leading us into finals in all three formats and, of course, that World Test Championship win. It's been great the way that he's come in and built on what was previously achieved," he concluded.