WELLINGTON: Gary Stead will remain New Zealand head coach in all formats through to the end of the World Test Championship cycle in 2025, the country’s cricket board said on Tuesday.

New Zealand Cricket considered appointing sepa­rate coaches for Test and limited-overs cri­cket but decided Stead could continue to handle the load.

“With most of our leading Black Caps playing across all three formats, and the culture of the group so strong and positive, we saw clear benefits in supporting the status quo,” NZC’s high performance chief Bryan Stronach said in a statement announcing Stead’s contract extension.

Stead, himself, urged the board in March to consider a separate limited overs head coach but on Tuesday said such a division was probably not suitable for New Zealand.

“We’re not a big country … Our pool of players is a little bit smaller perhaps than other countries around the world,” he told reporters.

“It makes the split coaching model probably not quite as relevant as other countries.”

He will instead continue to be supported by short-term consultant coaches for individual tours who bring specialist skills or knowledge of formats and conditions overseas.

Recent appointees have included Stephen Fleming, Shane Bond, Saqlain Mushtaq and Thilan Samaraweera.

He will also have the flexibility to opt out of certain tour commitments and have other staff step in.

“I was pretty open with New Zealand Cricket, and sort of explained that the idea of being away for eight or nine months on the road is unsustainable for anyone, players or staff,” he said.

“I’m certainly open to new coaches coming in. I don’t have to be the head guy, the front guy all the time.”

His immediate focus will be on the Black Caps’ preparations for the one-day World Cup in India in October-November, with the T20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies to follow next year.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2023