April 8, 2025 • 11 mins
New Zealand Cricket admit there's a chance they'll turn Gary Stead down if he decides he wants to continue as Black Caps test coach.
The long-serving mentor has stepped down from the white ball formats but is yet to decide whether he wants to continue in the red ball role.
The governing body is deciding whether to split the coaching role or bring in a new, singular coach.
High performance boss Bryan Stronach says they're open-minded about what's best for the athletes.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with does He
Waldergrave from News talks'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
So, what do we need? Let's get into this now
with former black Caps test coach mister Warren Wally Lees.
So Gary stepping down as coach the white ball teams,
does he stay on? Should there be a split role?
How does this work? Welcome to the program? Should maybe
(00:33):
Gary just walk away and hand it all over? No,
I'm not.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
I actually I don't know what we should do. But
he carries on with the red ball I know that
the load he's carried over an awfully long time, and
changing captains and changing assistant coaches and going on extensive
tools and trying to fit in some time with family,
it weighs heavily on you in the end. And I
(00:57):
can see why the program coming up in the next
year would be pretty difficult for him to continue. But
the red ball game, there's not a lot of Red
bull cricket in the next year. Three home games to
a quick tour to Zimbabwe for two tests. It's about
all I can find. And I think he's got a
pretty good rapport with some of the senior players. And
(01:18):
as we're turning over some new players at the moment
and possibly in the immediate future. I think it'd be
good to have Gary Steed just around for a little
bit longer with the Red Bull.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
You don't get me wrong, I don't want him out.
I was just trying to fire you up, Warren Lee.
Only one and one's the World Test Championship and then
defeats India in their backyard three nil. Frankly, they can
take as long as they want to make their mind up, right.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Well, I think so, And I think I think he's
been one of those coaches who's a little bit of
the old old fashion mold. He hasn't sought the limelight.
You never saw him dancing around after they beat him
during that. You never saw him seeking the media or
he would answer the questions if as. He's a quiet,
(02:04):
unassuming type, he knows to be in the background. And
I think he does an awful lot of work working
around the staff he's got these days. Sometimes you wonder
about the coaching role because I don't know, they directly
do a lot of coaching with a lot of individuals,
because there's a lot of as a bowling coach, as
a fielding coach, there's a slip catching coach. There's a
(02:26):
batting so I think the job is more of a
man management role and I think he's done that particularly well.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
You gets someone else to come and do white ball,
maybe they want to do red ball. I don't know.
But is it a good idea to run two different
coaches for a couple of versions of the national sport.
It's not an unusual idea. It's being done globally. Will
that work here in New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well, in the past, I don't know that it would
have because we didn't have such a big group of players.
Possibly in the past only had I don't know, sixteen
or seventeen players that we could pick from, there'd be
one or two thrown into the white ball games against
the lesser countries, I guess. But these days we've got
an awful lot of players who have played for the
(03:11):
New Zealand and New Zealand teams twenty fifty and Test
match cricket, and we've probably got twenty six players and
we could pick any team any eleven from any of
those twenty six players. So I don't think it's that
important to have someone, you know, looking over both versions
of the game. I think that as I said before,
(03:33):
the workload is possibly a little bit too heavy for
family people, and therefore you've got to break that up,
and I think that's one of the ways of doing it.
I think it's quite possible that it works with most
other teams now. And also we've got senior players who
played both versions of the game, and therefore they sort
of equal out the fact that an experienced player an
(03:55):
experienced coach may not be there. So no, I think
it's fine to have a white ball coach and a
red bull coach.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Is there an issue if you bring someone else completely
new and who's not been involved just the likes of
your Jacob Biram and like Craig McMillan's been there, done that,
You've got Luke Ronk in there, you bring a new
set of eyesen Would that be a positive or that
cause an issue with you in your happy family? Because
(04:21):
the Otago Voltz coach the form one anyway, Rob Walters,
he's left the South African side and his name apparently
is up in lights right now. With that good thing
or a disturbance of the.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Force underneath it all and all this discussion about the
Ronkies and the Wattlings and the orans and the faultin's
and all these different things you could come up with.
And I rate all of those players, by the way,
and probably his coaches as well. But yeah, I think
there's a bit more behind the Rob Walter thing. The
fact that he went back and took over the South
(04:51):
African role. By the sound of it, family is still
here in New Zealand, and now he's resigned from the
South African job. Well, it's hardly a surprise if he
comes back and takes over the white ball team. It
sort of looks like, if you read between the lines,
it was almost like a plan, and I wouldn't be
surprised if that happened if he came back. That he
(05:12):
knows the people I've already mentioned, he knows the people
who are around that team. He's obviously has an extensive record coaching,
and he wouldn't have got the South African job, which
is recently held, had he not had good references from
his past position. So I should imagine he's the favorite
right now to take over the white ball coaching staff,
(05:34):
not as White bull coach, but to actually take over
the coaching staff of the white ball team.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Sucy.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
That's one and least former black Caps test coach his
thoughts on where to now for New Zealand cricket the
black Caps the coaching role white ball, red ball. We
don't play that abomination pink ball cricket anymore, do we?
Only the Aussies that insist on going through with that
tasteless right, Let's move to another head coach now, another
(06:03):
former black Caps head coach, John Bracewood joints now talk
about same essue, whether NJ Cricket should be chasing instead
chasing someone else's Did they even know what they're doing? John,
Welcome to the program. What Duney Zealand Cricket need to
do with Gary Stead here?
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Well, I think continuity has been the secret of success
of both Mike Hessen and Gary Stead won the players
around them, the intellect that they're built up within the side,
the way they've managed those sides, the way they've selected
those sides. The only downside of the Mike Hessen thing
(06:44):
was here then shifted towards the franchise world, where we've
got a whole heap of talented coaches, but they are
unobtainable and unaffordable. Gary Stead is a guy that I
believe we need to make sure that we keepers intellect
and the continuity of the system that they've developed, which
(07:08):
is player intellect and player readiness are available to us.
And when I say player readiness, I think the Duffies,
the Chapman's, the youngs who spent a lot of time
on the bench. Immediately coming off the bench and succeeding
and performing is a real reflection on how this New
(07:30):
Zealand coaching group prepare players and we need to make
sure part of that.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
So this would be a lean toward possibly a role
a director of coaching or something like that that hovers
above everything else in that situation, then other coaches work
their magic, but with him overseeing it all. Will that
be out of the question.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Well, you've got to remember that Brian Stronik, who has
been the high performance director for quite some time, has
now left his position, so there's a vacancy there and
an opportunity to turn that turned or tweaked that a
little bit to almost the English model, where you've got
Key as the director of cricket and people like Brenda
(08:19):
McCullum and whoever work under him and for him and
inside their plans, and I think that Gary Stead is
in that IVDAL position. And one of the reasons I
say that is because you've got to remember that Gary
Stead has been in the high performance coaching realm out
at Lincoln for quite some time. He had the women's
(08:43):
he's been part of their high Performance development program, so
he's actually come through everything that's done in that program anyway,
so he has a real insight into what needs to
be provided to produce top class cricket at a high
performance level. But he has that understanding of the modern
(09:03):
game of franchise the franchise world, and the franchise world
is just not the IPL anymore. How he's managed to
keep the Caine Williamson's and people like that still involved
but not taking contracts. I think has been a wonder
and and you should be congratulated for how he's managed
(09:24):
those guys because it's so easy to just pack up
your bags and go franchising.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
So the structure of the coaching how would that work though?
Would it be one overseeing several Would you still give
a job as a coach to a white ball coach
to one player and one as a red bull coach?
Does the structure have to be or overhauled.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Well.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
I think Gary's practiced that anyway, because they've given them
time off from time to time, and other coaches have
run small campaigns, as have captains, so they've they have
It's not just coaches, it's their captains and their leaders
as well that they've managed. I think with somebody administering
(10:08):
over the top, then it allows you to have that
continuity of the Luke Ronkeys and people like that to
become either the white ball coach or the twenty twenty
coach or a campaign coach. Jacob Borham's coming through. You've
also got your Peter Fulton's and your PJ Wattling's emerging.
And you remember that the last two and our most
(10:29):
successful coaches have been New Zealand coaches coming through our programs,
Mike Hessen and Gary Stead. We don't need overseas coaches
inside New Zealand. Our program works really really well, are available,
give them the opportunity have somebody who understands the program
(10:49):
and understands the international game and the international climate more
in particular overseeing that and allow those guys underneath that
to be able to grow as coaches.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to news talks
they'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with does He
Waldergrave from News talks'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
So, what do we need? Let's get into this now
with former black Caps test coach mister Warren Wally Lees.
So Gary stepping down as coach the white ball teams,
does he stay on? Should there be a split role?
How does this work? Welcome to the program? Should maybe
(00:33):
Gary just walk away and hand it all over? No,
I'm not.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
I actually I don't know what we should do. But
he carries on with the red ball I know that
the load he's carried over an awfully long time, and
changing captains and changing assistant coaches and going on extensive
tools and trying to fit in some time with family,
it weighs heavily on you in the end. And I
(00:57):
can see why the program coming up in the next
year would be pretty difficult for him to continue. But
the red ball game, there's not a lot of Red
bull cricket in the next year. Three home games to
a quick tour to Zimbabwe for two tests. It's about
all I can find. And I think he's got a
pretty good rapport with some of the senior players. And
(01:18):
as we're turning over some new players at the moment
and possibly in the immediate future. I think it'd be
good to have Gary Steed just around for a little
bit longer with the Red Bull.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
You don't get me wrong, I don't want him out.
I was just trying to fire you up, Warren Lee.
Only one and one's the World Test Championship and then
defeats India in their backyard three nil. Frankly, they can
take as long as they want to make their mind up, right.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Well, I think so, And I think I think he's
been one of those coaches who's a little bit of
the old old fashion mold. He hasn't sought the limelight.
You never saw him dancing around after they beat him
during that. You never saw him seeking the media or
he would answer the questions if as. He's a quiet,
(02:04):
unassuming type, he knows to be in the background. And
I think he does an awful lot of work working
around the staff he's got these days. Sometimes you wonder
about the coaching role because I don't know, they directly
do a lot of coaching with a lot of individuals,
because there's a lot of as a bowling coach, as
a fielding coach, there's a slip catching coach. There's a
(02:26):
batting so I think the job is more of a
man management role and I think he's done that particularly well.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
You gets someone else to come and do white ball,
maybe they want to do red ball. I don't know.
But is it a good idea to run two different
coaches for a couple of versions of the national sport.
It's not an unusual idea. It's being done globally. Will
that work here in New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well, in the past, I don't know that it would
have because we didn't have such a big group of players.
Possibly in the past only had I don't know, sixteen
or seventeen players that we could pick from, there'd be
one or two thrown into the white ball games against
the lesser countries, I guess. But these days we've got
an awful lot of players who have played for the
(03:11):
New Zealand and New Zealand teams twenty fifty and Test
match cricket, and we've probably got twenty six players and
we could pick any team any eleven from any of
those twenty six players. So I don't think it's that
important to have someone, you know, looking over both versions
of the game. I think that as I said before,
(03:33):
the workload is possibly a little bit too heavy for
family people, and therefore you've got to break that up,
and I think that's one of the ways of doing it.
I think it's quite possible that it works with most
other teams now. And also we've got senior players who
played both versions of the game, and therefore they sort
of equal out the fact that an experienced player an
(03:55):
experienced coach may not be there. So no, I think
it's fine to have a white ball coach and a
red bull coach.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Is there an issue if you bring someone else completely
new and who's not been involved just the likes of
your Jacob Biram and like Craig McMillan's been there, done that,
You've got Luke Ronk in there, you bring a new
set of eyesen Would that be a positive or that
cause an issue with you in your happy family? Because
(04:21):
the Otago Voltz coach the form one anyway, Rob Walters,
he's left the South African side and his name apparently
is up in lights right now. With that good thing
or a disturbance of the.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Force underneath it all and all this discussion about the
Ronkies and the Wattlings and the orans and the faultin's
and all these different things you could come up with.
And I rate all of those players, by the way,
and probably his coaches as well. But yeah, I think
there's a bit more behind the Rob Walter thing. The
fact that he went back and took over the South
(04:51):
African role. By the sound of it, family is still
here in New Zealand, and now he's resigned from the
South African job. Well, it's hardly a surprise if he
comes back and takes over the white ball team. It
sort of looks like, if you read between the lines,
it was almost like a plan, and I wouldn't be
surprised if that happened if he came back. That he
(05:12):
knows the people I've already mentioned, he knows the people
who are around that team. He's obviously has an extensive record coaching,
and he wouldn't have got the South African job, which
is recently held, had he not had good references from
his past position. So I should imagine he's the favorite
right now to take over the white ball coaching staff,
(05:34):
not as White bull coach, but to actually take over
the coaching staff of the white ball team.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Sucy.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
That's one and least former black Caps test coach his
thoughts on where to now for New Zealand cricket the
black Caps the coaching role white ball, red ball. We
don't play that abomination pink ball cricket anymore, do we?
Only the Aussies that insist on going through with that
tasteless right, Let's move to another head coach now, another
(06:03):
former black Caps head coach, John Bracewood joints now talk
about same essue, whether NJ Cricket should be chasing instead
chasing someone else's Did they even know what they're doing? John,
Welcome to the program. What Duney Zealand Cricket need to
do with Gary Stead here?
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Well, I think continuity has been the secret of success
of both Mike Hessen and Gary Stead won the players
around them, the intellect that they're built up within the side,
the way they've managed those sides, the way they've selected
those sides. The only downside of the Mike Hessen thing
(06:44):
was here then shifted towards the franchise world, where we've
got a whole heap of talented coaches, but they are
unobtainable and unaffordable. Gary Stead is a guy that I
believe we need to make sure that we keepers intellect
and the continuity of the system that they've developed, which
(07:08):
is player intellect and player readiness are available to us.
And when I say player readiness, I think the Duffies,
the Chapman's, the youngs who spent a lot of time
on the bench. Immediately coming off the bench and succeeding
and performing is a real reflection on how this New
(07:30):
Zealand coaching group prepare players and we need to make
sure part of that.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
So this would be a lean toward possibly a role
a director of coaching or something like that that hovers
above everything else in that situation, then other coaches work
their magic, but with him overseeing it all. Will that
be out of the question.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Well, you've got to remember that Brian Stronik, who has
been the high performance director for quite some time, has
now left his position, so there's a vacancy there and
an opportunity to turn that turned or tweaked that a
little bit to almost the English model, where you've got
Key as the director of cricket and people like Brenda
(08:19):
McCullum and whoever work under him and for him and
inside their plans, and I think that Gary Stead is
in that IVDAL position. And one of the reasons I
say that is because you've got to remember that Gary
Stead has been in the high performance coaching realm out
at Lincoln for quite some time. He had the women's
(08:43):
he's been part of their high Performance development program, so
he's actually come through everything that's done in that program anyway,
so he has a real insight into what needs to
be provided to produce top class cricket at a high
performance level. But he has that understanding of the modern
(09:03):
game of franchise the franchise world, and the franchise world
is just not the IPL anymore. How he's managed to
keep the Caine Williamson's and people like that still involved
but not taking contracts. I think has been a wonder
and and you should be congratulated for how he's managed
(09:24):
those guys because it's so easy to just pack up
your bags and go franchising.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
So the structure of the coaching how would that work though?
Would it be one overseeing several Would you still give
a job as a coach to a white ball coach
to one player and one as a red bull coach?
Does the structure have to be or overhauled.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Well.
Speaker 4 (09:46):
I think Gary's practiced that anyway, because they've given them
time off from time to time, and other coaches have
run small campaigns, as have captains, so they've they have
It's not just coaches, it's their captains and their leaders
as well that they've managed. I think with somebody administering
(10:08):
over the top, then it allows you to have that
continuity of the Luke Ronkeys and people like that to
become either the white ball coach or the twenty twenty
coach or a campaign coach. Jacob Borham's coming through. You've
also got your Peter Fulton's and your PJ Wattling's emerging.
And you remember that the last two and our most
(10:29):
successful coaches have been New Zealand coaches coming through our programs,
Mike Hessen and Gary Stead. We don't need overseas coaches
inside New Zealand. Our program works really really well, are available,
give them the opportunity have somebody who understands the program
(10:49):
and understands the international game and the international climate more
in particular overseeing that and allow those guys underneath that
to be able to grow as coaches.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to news talks
they'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
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