‘New Zealand Cricket and I are definitely talking about that as an option’ – Black Caps head coach Garry Stead proposes idea of split coaching

Gary Stead. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead is in the final year of his contract with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the 51-year-old has proposed the idea of split coaching to the governing body.

Notably, the upcoming ODI World Cup in India will be the last project as a part of his existing contract and as things stand, Stead stated that it’s too early for him to confirm whether he will continue in the same role as it has become difficult for coaches in modern-day cricket to manage their workload.

He, however, intends to carry on with it if the management agrees to split coaching going forward. Stead stated that he is in talks with the cricket association at the moment and a decision will be made in the near future.

“The next cycle of the World Test Championship games is after my contract’s out, and I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how that evolves with time and where New Zealand Cricket and I get to, with discussions around my future … it’s too early to know.

I think it’s time that we do need to split off and look at it. I think the modern game is becoming very, very tough for players and coaches to try and sustain everything across that whole period of time and, New Zealand Cricket and I are definitely talking about that as an option,” Gary Stead was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda.

It’s a fantastic team to be part of: Stead

Under his guidance, the New Zealand team managed to win the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship and also qualified for the finals of the T20 World Cup 2021. He has been extremely successful during his tenure and recently stated that it’s a fantastic team to be a part of.

Next up, the 51-year-old will be travelling with the squad to Pakistan and the UAE for a couple of white-ball series. Ahead of that, he mentioned that the talks of his renewal are currently ongoing and NZC are currently figuring things out.

“I think these are a great bunch of guys to work with. It’s a fantastic team to be part of. So it really just will come down to discussions with New Zealand Cricket and I, and when we get to around what that looks like,” Stead added.

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