On Tuesday (July 11), the New Zealand cricket board announced that Gary Stead will remain the national team's head coach until the middle of 2025.

In November of this year, after the ODI World Cup, Stead's current contract was set to expire. The 51-year-old will now lead the squad for all key tasks and tournaments, such as the 2024 Twenty20 World Cup, the 2025 Champions Trophy, and the full 2023-25 World Test Championship Cycle.

In 2019, the squad under Stead's leadership reached the Cricket World Cup Final. The side captured the maiden World Test Championship crown in 2021, and reached the final of T20 World Cup 2021.

According to New Zealand Cricket's General Manager of High Performance Bryan Stronach, there is a solid argument in favor of keeping Stead.

"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. Gary's results have been very impressive and we're confident that he still has a lot to offer the team,” Stronach said.

"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."

According to Stronach, a dual coaching staff was also discussed but ultimately discarded. "A split-coaching role was discussed in depth but, with most of our leading BLACKCAPS playing across all three formats, and the culture of the group so strong and positive, we saw clear benefits in supporting the status quo. Of all the different potential scenarios, we considered this the best option available to us,” he added.

New Zealand Test captain Tim Southee agreed with Stronach, praising Stead for his leadership and interpersonal abilities in addition to his cricketing prowess. “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.

“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,” Southee said.

New Zealand Cricket also announced that its "fourth coach" model will continue, with one additional member of staff being appointed for each foreign trip with "specialist skillset or knowledge of specific overseas environments or formats."

Shane Bond and Stephen Fleming have been brought on as consultants, and Saqlain Mushtaq, Luke Wright, and Thilan Samaraweera have been engaged for tours of Pakistan, England, and Sri Lanka, respectively.