‘One of our best': Kane Williamson pays tribute after Gary Stead steps down as New Zealand head coach
Gary Stead will stand down as Black Caps coach at the end of June, New Zealand Cricket said on Wednesday, bringing to an end a highly successful seven-year reign that included the capture of the inaugural World Test Championship title.
The 53-year-old stood down as coach of the country's white ball teams in April and his desire to spend less time on tour ultimately did not marry with NZC's aspiration to have one coach across all formats.
"There's been some amazing memories over the past seven years based around a group of fantastic and talented people who have gone out to give their best for their country," he said in a NZC statement.
"It's been nice to be competitive across all three formats and I'd like to think that regardless of results, the opposition know the Black Caps are a team that won't fold."
Stead said the World Test Championship triumph in 2021 and New Zealand's 3-0 sweep of India on the sub-continent last year were the highlights of his time in charge.
New Zealand also finished as runners-up on boundary countback at the 2019 50-overs World Cup, runners-up at the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup as well as at the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
The Black Caps topped the Test and ODI rankings and reached the semi-finals at two other white-ball World Cups during his time in charge.
"For a country with five million people and limited resources, we comparatively perform outstandingly well against the other powerhouses of the game," Stead added.
Producing consistent performances over such a lengthy period rested in some part on Stead's ability to refresh the squad with young players as generational talents retired or spent lengthy periods on the sidelines with injury.
Former Black Caps captain Kane Williamson said Stead is likely to be remembered as one of New Zealand's most successful cricket coaches.
"There was no one more hardworking and passionate about seeing the Black Caps grow and succeed," he said. "He was always thorough in his planning and preparation and will go down as one of our best coaches, but an even better bloke."
NZC has already started the search for the successor to the former top-order Test batsman and Stead said he would take some time to recharge before seeking out another challenge.
"I still have the coaching bug and will look to explore opportunities at home and abroad where I can look to share what I've learned from my 30 years of professional sport as a player and coach," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Fight figure Victor Conte diagnosed with cancer
Boxing figure Victor Conte has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to reports from within the US. Conte, who shot to infamy with his role in the BALCO doping scandal decades ago told Boxing Scene that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. However, he said that his prognosis appeared to be good. Catch all the latest boxing action on DAZN The course of treatment for Conte, reported Boxing Scene, would be three months of chemotherapy followed by surgery. Luckily, the cancer has reportedly not metastasised. Conte told Boxing Scene: 'The cancer's at an advanced stage locally but has not spread to any other organs in my body. I'll do chemo weekly for three months – maybe four – during which doctors hope to shrink the tumour enough to be able to go in and remove the tumour with NanoKnife surgery. That's the plan.' Conte said that his physicians were positive and that the cancer had not spread beyond his pancreas. He added: 'I've got a stint implanted in my bile duct. My appetite is back after losing the 40 pounds. It's been a very difficult time. I'm just glad to be able to continue to do what I do. None of this is about money. It's never been about making money for me. I've got a ton of money saved. I get to do what I love to do with the people I love to work with.' The BALCO scandal over two decades ago rocked professional sports in the US, with athletes from multiple disciplines including baseball and boxing being implemented in mass doping done through Conte's labs in San Francisco (BALCO stands for 'Bay Area Lab Company'). Athletes caught up in the scandal included Shane Mosley, who said despite video evidence that he had never been a steroid abuser or a cheat or sports; Barry Bonds, who similarly denied wrongdoing; and track and field athlete Marion Jones. For his role in the scandal, which was the subject of a Netflix documentary called Untold: Hall of Shame in 2023, Conte served four months in jail. Since his initial fall from grace, Conte has rehabilitated his image somewhat with his more-recent campaigning for clean sport, Following his release, Conte underwent a Damascene conversion and has worked on eradicating PEDs from use in sports, working closely with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Trump and Musk's spectacular blowup; Australian navy ship accidentally blocks NZ wifi; and embracing a gift economy
Welcome, readers, to the Afternoon Update. Tensions between Donald Trump and his erstwhile 'first buddy' Elon Musk have risen further, prompting threats from the US president to terminate government contracts with Musk's businesses. The spectacular public feud has also pushed Tesla shares into a freefall. Amid all the drama, precipitated by Trump's signature 'Big Beautiful Bill', eyes are turning to the Republican lawmakers weighing whether to pass it. Musk has called for Trump to be impeached and replaced by his vice-president, JD Vance, and also linked Trump to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with the White House calling the assertions an 'unfortunate episode'. The 14.2% decline in Tesla's share price on Thursday knocked about $US8.73bn off Musk's net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index – and roughly $US152bn off the value of the company. Australian navy ship accidentally blocks wifi across parts of New Zealand Russia mounts deadly barrage of Kyiv after vowing revenge for Ukraine attack on bomber fleet Families of children killed in Hillcrest jumping castle incident 'shattered' after not guilty verdict Pheobe Bishop disappearance: housemates charged with murdering teenager Boele says Labor risks squashing business confidence on energy transition without firmer climate change stance Sussan Ley says name spelling change was due to 'punk phase' – not numerology Endangered sharks are being killed at alarming levels in the Pacific and industrial fishing is putting marine biodiversity at increasing risk, Greenpeace has claimed, after its activists disrupted a Spanish vessel operating north of New Zealand, claiming it killed three mako sharks in 30 minutes. 'Nowadays, even if you have a green card, you have legitimate status, you could get caught by ICE, because these guys are crazy.' Across the US, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students are now uncertain about their academic future. One 34-year-old Chinese PhD student at the University of Oregon said that although he is not planning to apply for a new student visa soon, the prospect of an encounter with ICE concerned him. Students hoping to study at Harvard were under particular pressure after the Trump administration announced on Wednesday it was banning the school from enrolling new foreign students – but on Thursday, a district judge in Boston blocked the ban. Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion For the second year running, only one Australian restaurant has been named in the World's 50 Best Restaurants longlist. Josh and Julie Niland's innovative fish-focused fine diner Saint Peter ranked at 66th place in the annual countdown, moving up the ranks from last year, when it placed at number 98. Kelly Swain suspects there's something poisonous about money. There are plenty of large-scale examples rampaging about right now. That's why Swain is embracing a gift economy and discovering the joys of a slow and gentle lifestyle. Today's starter word is: PIER. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply. Enjoying the Afternoon Update? Then you'll love our Morning Mail newsletter. Sign up here to start the day with a curated breakdown of the key stories you need to know, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
SPORTS DIGEST: Murrayfield move is all very well ... but Scotland's women MUST be more competitive against Auld Enemy on bigger stage
Moving next year's women's Six Nations clash between Scotland and England to Murrayfield is a bold move in more ways than one. Given the match was a 7,774 sell-out crowd when it was held at the Hive Stadium in 2024, it certainly seems there is plenty of scope to take it to a bigger venue. And while there have been no grand proclamations about selling out Murrayfield, expectations of around 30,000 fans seem fair. Especially given that ticket prices are certain to be kept low — with those available at present costing £15 for adults and £10 for Under-18s. Yet, for the match to truly be a springboard for the women's game in this country, it needs more than bums on seats. It needs to be competitive, and therein lies the rub when it comes to Scotland v England games. This year, England triumphed 59-7 in the fixture. The sell-out fixture in 2024 ended 46-0 to the visitors. The previous few years also made for painful viewing, with heavy defeats all the way back to 2018: 58-7, 57-7, 52-10, 53-0, 80-0, 43-8. So, yes, you can bring in more numbers for such a high-profile match against probably the best team in the world. But Scotland will need to produce a performance worthy of the support. Otherwise, it may be that the relocation to Murrayfield proves a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Did Scotland play host to the unlikeliest pitch invasion ever seen? Scotland's one-day cricket match against Nepal in Dundee perhaps wasn't the sporting event where you'd have expected crowd trouble. Yet, earlier this week, Cricket Scotland were forced into making a statement following the visitors' final-ball victory on Monday. That dramatic win led to a pitch invasion from the Nepalese fans - there were more there than you would have thought — with the victorious players having to be escorted from the field by stewards in the aftermath. With further games to come against both Nepal and the Netherlands, the game's governing body decided to issue some words of caution in case things were to get out of hand again. A Cricket Scotland statement read: 'Following the scenes that took place at the conclusion of Monday's game between Scotland and Nepal in Dundee, Cricket Scotland, together with the Cricket Association of Nepal, request that supporters refrain from entering the field of play at all times. 'The safety of all players, match officials and spectators is of paramount importance. Entering the field of play is a breach of the Terms and Conditions by the ticket-holder. Any spectator who enters the field of play before, during or after the conclusion of the match will not be permitted to remain in the ground. 'Cricket Scotland is delighted to welcome supporters to its fixtures and is dedicated to ensuring that everyone, which includes families and young children, has a safe and enjoyable experience at the match.' Rory's refreshing honesty over Masters comedown Athletes can often seem so guarded when discussing their mental approach to their game, so it was a breath of fresh air this week to hear Rory McIlroy talk so candidly about his post-Masters struggles. The Northern Irishman finally sealed his career Grand Slam with victory at Augusta in April. After winning a first major since 2014, it looked like he could be set to dominate the season. Yet he has struggled for form since. McIlroy barely made an impression at the USPGA Championship last month whilst also declining his media availability every day of the tournament amid drama around his driver failing an equipment test. Whilst admitting he was 'p***** off' at that information leaking during the championship whilst news of others — including eventual winner Scottie Scheffler — falling foul of regulations went under the radar, the world No2 also revealed he has struggled for motivation in the wake of his Masters triumph. 'I don't know if I'm chasing anything,' McIlroy said ahead of this week's Canadian Open, where Scotland's Bob MacIntyre is defending his title. 'I would certainly say the last few weeks, I've had a couple of weeks off, and going and grinding on the range for three or four hours every day is a little tougher than it used to be. 'You have this event in your life that you've worked towards and it happens, sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to get back on the horse and go again.' Whilst some may think McIlroy is perhaps a little too honest for his own good sometimes, it's refreshing to hear a sportsperson being so frank about their struggles after achieving a lifelong ambition. Hopefully the time off has done McIlroy good, and a strong week in Canada will get him back in the groove. With a home Open at Royal Portrush next month and the Ryder Cup looming in September, further motivation shouldn't be hard to seek. Pressley has plenty to prove as he takes reins at Dens Steven Pressley's appointment as the new manager of Dundee hasn't been universally popular among fans. In fact, to describe the reaction as 'mixed' would be considered charitable in the extreme. The former Scotland international was this week announced as Tony Docherty's successor at Dens Park. It is the 51-year-old's first job in Scotland in 12 years and his first in management since 2019, when he was sacked after an eight-month spell in charge of Carlisle United. Since 2021, Pressley has been working behind the scenes at Brentford as head of individual player development. Pressley was an unexpected choice for the Dundee job... and was on holiday when news broke His appointment, therefore, seems to have come out of the blue somewhat considering those years away from frontline management. It's perhaps less surprising given his links to Dens Park technical director Gordon Strachan, but there's no shortage of ex-Celtic acolytes who were also linked to the job, such as Shaun Maloney and Scott Brown. Stranger still was the timing of the announcement, with Pressley still on holiday and unable to be officially unveiled in person. Managing director John Nelms defended the appointment, believing he can be the man to help the club achieve their goal of a top-half finish in the Premiership — and eventually lead them into Europe. 'Top six is what we budget for,' said Nelms. 'Top six is always our goal. It's a little bit tougher to do when you're walking the developmental line like we do.' Announced alongside Pressley was the appointment of David Longwell in the role of technical manager. Longwell has previously worked at clubs such as St Mirren and New York Red Bulls but is perhaps best known for his time at Burnley, from where he resigned after sending a message critiquing members of the first-team squad to the wrong WhatsApp group. Longwell's role developing players at Dens Park will certainly be key though, as the club look to improve on a disappointing campaign where they finished tenth. There will also be plenty of turnover in the squad. The Dark Blues have already lost chief playmaker Lyall Cameron, who had agreed a pre-contract move to Rangers. Many supporters still feel that Docherty's sacking was harsh too, so the deck feels rather stacked against the new men before they've even got their feet under the desk. You better hope Pressley enjoyed his holiday, because it will be anything but relaxing once he gets to work. Dutch draw is big boost as Scots start Andreatta era Given that Scotland's women's team were already relegated from Nations League Group A1 before she even took over, Melissa Andreatta's first games in charge were always going to be something of a thankless task. The Scots went down 1-0 to Austria in Andreatta's opening match last Friday in a disappointing performance that saw captain Rachel Corsie win her 155th and final cap before retiring from international football. So it was to Andreatta's credit that she roused the team for their match away to the Netherlands just a few days later, claiming an impressive 1-1 draw. The team only arrived in the country eight hours before kick-off after a technical issue with their plane delayed their travel by a day. Things got worse for the Scots when Jill Roord fired the home side into the lead after just 10 minutes. Yet Kathleen McGovern equalised soon after and Andreatta's side were left disappointed to only leave with a point after a strong second-half showing. 'With that performance we earned that result,' said the Australian. 'Especially when you think about the last 24 hours that we had, I think that showed what this team is about. That was established long before me but they put in a great performance tonight.' It may have only been the team's first point in the final game of a miserable campaign, but it was great to see such an improved display in the manager's second game in charge. McGovern's goal was also her first for her country, and comes at the end of a season which saw the striker win the SWPL title with Hibs. One solid performance doesn't mean the tide is turning necessarily, but it's a good starting point for the new boss and some much-needed positivity is very welcome as the national team embarks on a new era.
