New Zealand retain Gary Stead as head coach till 2023 

Stead was appointed as a head coach in 2018 following the resignation of Mike Hesson, who vacated the post for personal reasons.

In his first ICC tournament, he guided New Zealand to the final, where they lost on boundary countback against England having tied the match and the Super Over.
Recently, there have been reports of a rift between Stead and captain Kane Williamson. However, both parties have downplayed that down to simply a difference of opinion and vowed to work together.

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.

Stead, who guided the team to World Cup final last year and test series wins over Pakistan, England and India that lifted them to second in the world rankings, said he was looking forward to a schedule packed with elite events.

"It's an honour and a privilege to be re-appointed. 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,'' Stead said.

"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," he added.

David White, NZC CEO, revealed the board had made the call after a panel interviewed Stead last week and had been pleased with his vision for the team.

"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 count-back 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."