Latest news with #Stead
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
New Zealand appoint Rob Walter as head coach in all formats ahead of Zimbabwe tour
Rob Walter has been appointed as the new head coach of the New Zealand men's cricket team across all formats, replacing Gary Stead. The former South Africa white-ball coach will begin his tenure with the Black Caps' tour of Zimbabwe. read more Wellington (New Zealand): Rob Walter has been hired to coach the New Zealand men's cricket team in all three formats as a replacement for Gary Stead. Walter coached South Africa's teams in the one-day and Twenty20 formats from January 2023 until April this year. Before then he coached New Zealand's Otago province for five years and at the Central Districts association. He guided South Africa to the semifinals of the 2023 World Cup and the Champions Trophy earlier this year in the ODI format and to the final of the T20 World Cup last year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Stead was New Zealand head coach in all three formats from 2018 until earlier this week, when New Zealand Cricket announced it was seeking a replacement. Stead announced in March he was stepping down from his roles in the limited-overs formats but intended to remain as test coach. New Zealand Cricket said it preferred a coach to lead the Black Caps in all three formats. 'It's an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series will be contested,' Walter said. 'I just can't wait to get started. It's exciting, it's challenging and the opportunity is enormous.' The 49-year-old Walter was high on New Zealand Cricket's list of preferred candidates from the moment it decided to pursue another all-formats coach, ruling out Stead who guided the Black Caps to the inaugural World Test Championship. 'Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree,' NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said. 'His success in New Zealand's domestic game combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Black Caps.' He'll take over in time for New Zealand's tour to Zimbabwe, which starts with a T20 tri-series against the hosts and South Africa before a two-Test series against Zimbabwe.
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Sport
- Business Recorder
New Zealand name South African Walter as new coach in all formats
South African Rob Walter was appointed New Zealand coach in all formats on Friday in the wake of Gary Stead's decision to stand down after seven years in charge. Stead announced on Wednesday that he would be leaving the job of test coach at the end of the month, having already relinquished the short format roles in April. Walter, 49, was most recently coach of South Africa's one-day international and Twenty20 teams but knows New Zealand cricket well after stints in charge of provincial teams as well as his time overseeing a Black Caps 'A' tour of India in 2022. 'The Black Caps have been a successful and highly-regarded team on the world scene for some time now and it's a real privilege to be given the chance to add to that,' Walter said in a New Zealand Cricket statement. 'It's an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series, will be contested.' Walter, who led South Africa to the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup and final of last year's Twenty20 World Cup, is contracted through to the end of the 2028 World Cup, which New Zealand is co-hosting with Australia. Stead stands down as New Zealand coach after seven years 'Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree,' said NZC chief executive Scott Weenink. 'His success in New Zealand's domestic game, combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa, makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Black Caps.' New Zealand's next international matches come in July at the start of their tour of Zimbabwe, where they will play two tests and a Twenty20 tri-series also involving South Africa.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
New Zealand appoints Rob Walter as new men's head coach across formats
Former South Africa coach Rob Walter was on Firday appointed as New Zealand's new head coach across all formats. The 49-year-old Walter who will step into his role later this month ahead of the tour to Zimbabwe, replaces Gary Stead as the new man in charge of the Black Caps unit. Walter was a frontrunner for the position after resigning from his role with the South African limited-overs sides in April. 'The Black Caps have been a successful and highly-regarded team on the world scene for some time now and it's a real privilege to be given the chance to add to that,' Walter said in a statement. 'It's an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series, will be contested.' Walter's contract includes leading the Kiwis up until the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, with three major ICC tournaments in between, including the 2027 World Cup. NZ Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink heaped praise on Walter's coaching credentials. 'His success in New Zealand's domestic game, combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa, makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Black Caps.' Walter previously was at the helm of the Otago Volts in New Zealand's domestic competitions between 2016 and 2021, before moving to Hawke's Bay and briefly coaching the Central Stags. In his time with the Proteas since 2023, Walter led the side to their first T20 World Cup final in 2024 and the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup and Champions Trophy in 2023 and 2025 respectively. Earlier this week, Stead's departure from the role was announced by New Zealand after a successful stint as the side's most successful coach across formats. While he had hoped to extend his role with the Test side, New Zealand Cricket's choice to maintain a single coach meant the end to a seven-year tenure during which Stead won the inaugural ICC World Test Championship finals and reached three white-ball finals.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Rob Walter hired as New Zealand's cricket head coach after leaving South Africa job
Rob Walter has been hired to coach the New Zealand men's cricket team in all three formats as a replacement for Gary Stead. Walter coached South Africa's teams in the one-day and Twenty20 formats from January 2023 until April this year. Before then he coached New Zealand's Otago province for five years and at the Central Districts association. He guided South Africa to the semifinals of the 2023 World Cup and the Champions Trophy earlier this year in the ODI format and to the final of the T20 World Cup last year. Stead was New Zealand head coach in all three formats from 2018 until earlier this week, when New Zealand Cricket announced it was seeking a replacement. Stead announced in March he was stepping down from his roles in the limited-overs formats but intended to remain as test coach. New Zealand Cricket said it preferred a coach to lead the Black Caps in all three formats. 'It's an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series will be contested,' Walter said. 'I just can't wait to get started. It's exciting, it's challenging and the opportunity is enormous.' The 49-year-old Walter was high on New Zealand Cricket's list of preferred candidates from the moment it decided to pursue another all-formats coach, ruling out Stead who guided the Black Caps to the inaugural World Test Championship. 'Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree,' NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said. 'His success in New Zealand's domestic game combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Black Caps.' He'll take over in time for New Zealand's tour to Zimbabwe, which starts with a T20 tri-series against the hosts and South Africa before a two-Test series against Zimbabwe.
1News
4 days ago
- Sport
- 1News
Scotty Stevenson: NZ Cricket favours soft power in coach appointment
A new era of Black Caps is upon us, and here's a newsflash: It will be much like the past one, writes TVNZ Sport Presenter Scotty Stevenson. Rob Walter was finally confirmed as Black Caps head coach on Friday, ending months of speculation following Gary Stead's decision to step down as white ball coach. Stead left the door open to retaining test responsibilities, but New Zealand Cricket promptly shut it, opting instead to persist with an all-format appointment through the next three seasons. With that decision made, Walter always appeared to be the option favoured by the players. As outlined in April, the successful applicant needed to be much more than just a good technical cricketing brain. Cricket's confused and chaotic global calendar, coupled with the increased concentration of power in the hands of the BCCI and its proxies, and the growing complexity of central contracts and franchise commitments, means the head coaching job demands more velvet glove than iron fist. ADVERTISEMENT Rob Walter, former South Africa coach, has been named the new Black Caps head coach. (Source: Getty) The glove fit Gary Stead, who guided the Black Caps with minimal fuss through a time of great change in the international landscape. Trent Boult was the first to test the limits of Stead's capacity for adaptation, closely followed by Colin de Grandhomme and more latterly by Kane Williamson, Lachie Ferguson, Devon Conway and Finn Allen, all of whom opted out of central contracts while declaring their ongoing availability for the national side. A more hot-headed coach may have been inclined to draw a line through those names, but Stead was a pragmatist who worked hard to balance the needs of the team against the wishes of the individual. A good head coach is both a strategist and a tactician. The bigger picture is as important to them as the minute detail, and they must be capable of zooming both in and out while maintaining a sense of equilibrium in an ever-changing world. This is where Stead excelled in the role. His critics rolled their eyes at his unflappable demeanour, perceived conservatism and aversion to a memorable quote. But it pays to be wary of the quiet ones. They tend to have things figured out long into a future the rest of us have failed to even imagine. Stead got it right more times than not, with the 2024 Caribbean World Cup disaster the one time his penchant for accommodating the wishes of his franchise stars backfired. Stead's teams increasingly resembled him. Black Caps sides in recent years have become masters of the mono-emotion. Black Caps head coach Rob Walter. (Source: Photosport) ADVERTISEMENT Consider the regular captains: Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Tim Southee and Mitch Santner. In order, and in any cricketing situation, that's a direct line between completely unaroused and clinically dead. And I mean that in a nice way. The Black Caps have become the masters of the process before outcome, and Stead was perfectly suited to that approach. There have been a couple of outliers, naturally, just to raise the pulse. Neil Wagner was one, and Darryl Mitchell another – the flickers of flame in a bed of smouldering embers. It's fitting to mention the players here because there is no doubt they were instrumental in selecting Rob Walter to succeed Stead. Latham and Mitchell were both on the interview panel, alongside CEO Scott Weenink, and board members Dion Nash (representing a much more volatile style of Black Cap) and Roger Twose (representing an entirely different generational view). The two players would have undoubtedly plumped for a continuation of style but a fly on the wall may have been privy to some intriguing debate. Ultimately, that player view won the day. Walter has the right level of connection to the game in New Zealand (he coached both Otago and Central Districts with success) without the wrong level of connection to the past. Rob Walter. (Source: Photosport) As such, he does not carry baggage into the job – either real or imagined – and that would have been a big tick in the pro column. He's always struck as a coach who cares deeply about his players, rolls the sleeves up when it comes time to work, rolls them even higher when it comes time to relax, and understands how to plot a campaign with minimum fuss. These will all be traits that hold him in – excuse the pun – good stead with this generation of players. ADVERTISEMENT He is, in many ways, a similar coach to Gary Stead — but that's not to suggest he's a carbon copy. That's an important distinction, given this team will need to tweak its approach over the coming seasons as it continues to grow and evolve without some of its greatest performers. Gone are the big three quicks, and it may not be long before the talismanic Williamson racks the bat for good. A new generation is emerging. They must be nurtured by a coach who understands both what he is inheriting and how to grow its collective value. New Zealand Cricket has seen the value in soft power, and has given the job to someone who — like his predecessor — knows how to use it.
