May 30, 2025 • 12 mins
While the race to succeed outgoing Black Caps coach Gary Stead narrows down to the final candidates, it's one name that was missing from the interview sheet that's sparked intrigue.
Newstalk ZB understands former New Zealand batter and multiple domestic championship-winning coach Peter Fulton failed to get a hearing.
The host of The Bounce podcast, Dylan Cleaver told Jason Pine that Fulton ticked all the boxes to at least get an interview after his success with Canterbury.
He and Piney broke down Stead’s legacy as coach and who may wind up with the role now.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Coach in any capacity. It's a seven year reign which
now appears to be coming to an end. Gary Stead,
of course, had already said he didn't want to coach
the white ball formats anymore, but he would be interested
in staying on as Red Bull coach for the black Caps.
He has not, though, been interviewed in any capacity for
(00:34):
that role or the overarching role. Obviously he couldn't be
because he didn't want to do the white ball stuff.
So Gary Stead will leave having fashioned arguably the greatest
record of any black Caps coach, a World Test Championship,
the three nil series victory in India, fifty over and
twenty over World Cup final appearances to his credit. So
(00:56):
I think his legacy will be pretty secure. But who
will get the gig?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Now?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Who are the candidates and who is most likely to
get a gig? Let's bring in Award winning sports writer
and author of the SUPERB subscriber newsletter The Bounce, Dylan Cleaver. Dylan,
presumably you're hearing the same things that we are. Gary
Stead's tenual end, which presumably means that New Zealand Cricket
(01:23):
have decided against splitting out the coaching role between formats,
having a red ball coach and a white ball coach.
They're not going to do that.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Yeah, Essentially, I think there's a great reluctance to split
the roles and I think that's understandable. It's been tried,
certainly in bigger programs around the world. England tried it,
but they tend to go back to the single head
coach system. And within that kind of system you can
(01:53):
bring in specialist assistance for the different formats. But my
understanding is extremely likely to go with the single head coach.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Do you think the players, particularly the white ball specialists,
would like the idea of split roles or not.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
No, I don't think so. I think, well, it's hard
to say rearlier until until you try it, I guess.
But I think there's a fundamental misand understanding of the
head coach role in cricket. I think with the different formats,
your head coach is more facilitated than anything. And because
the modern cricket environment is so fractured, so multi format
(02:34):
and players, the best players in the world are going
from franchise to franchise team to team, format to format.
They don't want to go into an environment where the
head coach is trying to tell them how to play cricket. Essentially,
you want a very consistent personality as your head coach.
You want a very good organizer as your head coach.
(02:54):
And that's what Gary Stead became. And I think that
players had a great deular respect for his consistency of
his personality, consistency of the selection as much as they
might have frustrated us at punters from times time. Yeah,
and just consistency of that environment. And I think that's
what they'd crave more than anything else.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
All Right, Well, the names that have been banded around
as those who did get an interview former ball and
coach of Shane Bond and Shane Jurgensen, incumbent assistant Luke Ronkey,
and former domestic and recent South African white ball coach
Rob Walter. Of that quartet, first of all, who seems
most suitable and secondly, who do you think will get it?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah, it's a tough question. I guess Jurgensen has the
advantage that he was a long time part of that camp,
that black Caps camp, probably longer than the others, Although
Luke Ronky has been in and around the team for
a while now. I think Luke's big disadvantages He's yet
(03:58):
to have a big time head coach role, so his
experience has all been as an assistant. Rob Bolter was
the name that popped up almost immediately, wasn't it. And
I'm not certain it was a coincidence that he left
South Africa when he did, And my understanding was perhaps
(04:20):
one of the reasons he left that South African system
was because of the split head coach role and the
difficulties that wasn't getting guys in that have been under
a head coach at Red Bull and then you just
get them for a week or so and you're head
coaching them and the white ball and I think it
was an awkward fit there. So yeah, I mean, I
don't know, but I would I would be mildly surprised
(04:44):
if it wasn't Rob Walker. I think he's got the
depth of experience as a head coach just slot into
that role. But that's not to say that that's the
same way as the New Zealand Cricket Board.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Think a name that's missing for me is Peter Fulton.
Multiple championship winning coach in a bunch of formats for Canterbury,
former Test player himself of course, and white ball cricketer.
Was it a surprise to you that Peter Fulton's not
in this conversation?
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Absolutely a surprise to me that he didn't get an interview.
If that is the case and the jungle drums are true,
and the four that you previously mentioned are the ones
that made the short list and good an interview, I
would have thought Peter Fulton did it how you meant
to do it. He was probably too early into that
assistant role within the Black Caps, probably realized that that
he needed to get out and get some head coach experience.
(05:35):
He's done that at Canterbury. He's done it extremely well.
Maybe the only black mark against his name is that
he has been a little insulated within that New Zealand
Canterbury system. Maybe the high performance manages at the New
Zealand Cricket field that he needs to get a slightly
more breadth of experience in coaching and perhaps needs to
(05:57):
go to either another association or coach overseas as well.
But yeah, I'm certainly surprised that he didn't At the
very least get an interview.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
All right, well, wait for the outcome of who eventually
does get the top job. Flying under the radar and
I read this with interest in your latest newsletter. We're
all keen to see who the new black Caps head coaches.
But the head of high performance role is also soon
to be vacated by Brian Stronach, so he'll need to
be replaced as well. How important and appointments?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Is this massively important and not important all at the
same time. And let me explain that for a little
bit there. Brian Stronach was really highly regarded. He was
really highly regarded by the players, and I think he
was really highly regarded within cricket circles in New Zealand
of the major associations, and that as a completely ego
(06:50):
free guy who just made sure things worked. And in
that respect it's a massively important role. You've got to
be that interface between the major six major associations, between
the national side and as I mentioned before, and can
mention that nauseam, the cricket world is just so fractured
(07:11):
and complicated at the moment. You need a superbly organized
guy in that head of high performance role that making
sure everything is catered for the needs of the players,
the coaching staff, the major associations has catered for at
a time when more and more and more cricket has
been squeezed into the calendar. And you know, there's so
(07:34):
much more cricket being paid with her that's franchise level,
whether that's domestic first class level, whether it's international level.
And yet there is still only three hundred and sixty
five days of the year, so that role is incredibly important.
Yet it will remain virtually anonymous. I mean, there'll be
people listening to this now that they don't even know
who Brian Stronach is. And I think that's the way
(07:57):
he liked it, and I think that's the way the
guys who worked under him liked it too, all right.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
And the other thing bubbling why is the eminent release
of New Zealand Crickets centrally contracted list. They centrally contract
tweety players every year. This has changed a lot, hasn't
it in the last few years. Players the likes of
Caine Williamson, Devon Conway, Blocky, Ferguson Finell and Tim siphered
they're not interested in central contracts anymore.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Are they No, No, but not well, probably for different reasons.
You know, Finale and Tim seifher to T twenty specialist,
so it makes sense for them to be available for
as many as the high paying T twenty gigs around
the world. With Cain, it's slightly different. You know, he's
at the end of his career. He wants to be
(08:44):
able to sort of dictate his calendar. He's got a
young family. I think he's made it pretty clear over
the last four or five years that his interest in
playing bilateral white ball cricketers as an all time low.
So again it makes sense for him he's going to
have fewer opportunities than the younger guys to go and too.
(09:05):
I just work you'd call the nest egg phase of
your career. But that doesn't mean he's not interested in
playing for New Zealand. I still think in the right circumstances,
he'd love to be available for major tournaments and for
Marquee Test Series And to be honest, and yes, that's
up to the new high performance manager and the new
head coach of the black Caps as to how much
(09:27):
they would want to indulge that. And you know, from
a fans perspective, and certainly from a cricket journalist perspective,
I think Kay Williamson has certainly earned the right to
be indulged, and I think anything we can do to
extend that playing career should be seriously considered.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Absolutely so, Matt Henry number one for you. I know
that I published the rankings they probably should, but Matt
Henry number one for you.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Clear by the length of the straight. For me, his
work over the past twelve months and all formats has
been phenomenal. You know, him missing that G twenty final,
I think he's showed the importance of himself to that team.
You know, he's just turned into a machine like efficient
(10:14):
fast bowler, one of the best we've ever had. And
you know, people tend to forget he had to wait
in the wings a long time to get his opportunity,
and you know, his early results in international cricket were
not good at all. I think at one point he
was a guy who had the highest Test bowling average
for someone who played a minimum of ten Tests or
something like that. So he has learned on the job.
(10:36):
He's terrific. I'm pretty sure Ratchet will be number two
and Darren Mitchell three. Then it gets a little bit
sketchy under that. I think I had Glenn Phillips as
high as number four in my list, and look, I
love watching Glenn Phillips play cricket. But you know, if
he's number four on the list, he hasn't got a
test entry. It's maybe it's a bit of a lolly
(10:59):
scramble under number three. And I didn't have Henry Nichols
making my top twenty, but I think he actually will.
I think he probably will scrape into it. I think
guys like AJS Patel and Eat Sody might be dreadfully unlucky.
And you'll see some of you guys on there, like
Zach Folks, Muhammed A Bass. I think, you know, probably
(11:22):
Miss Reese marry you. I'm guessing a bit here, piney
and taking a few punts, but that's probably the way
I'm looking at it at the moment.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Educated punts. There's always from you, Dylan. People can read
your full list if they subscribe to the Bounce. Always
love chatting cricket with you, mate, even if it is
now winter eve I think winter officially starts tomorrow, but
always great getting cricket with you mate.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Yeah, you too piney. Thank you, no, thank you mate.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
That is Dylan Cleaver. You can read him. He's got
a subscribe and newsletter called The Bounce, which is tremendous,
just terrific, really incisive sports writing drops into your email
in box three or four times a week, depending on
what's going on. I always love reading Dylan Cleaver's stuff
(12:09):
The Bounce. If you want to subscribe, it's really cheap too.
I would say cheap. The writing superb, but it's you know,
for what you get the Bounce, just google it.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Subscribe Cracker For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine,
listen live to news Talk said B weekends from midday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Coach in any capacity. It's a seven year reign which
now appears to be coming to an end. Gary Stead,
of course, had already said he didn't want to coach
the white ball formats anymore, but he would be interested
in staying on as Red Bull coach for the black Caps.
He has not, though, been interviewed in any capacity for
(00:34):
that role or the overarching role. Obviously he couldn't be
because he didn't want to do the white ball stuff.
So Gary Stead will leave having fashioned arguably the greatest
record of any black Caps coach, a World Test Championship,
the three nil series victory in India, fifty over and
twenty over World Cup final appearances to his credit. So
(00:56):
I think his legacy will be pretty secure. But who
will get the gig?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Now?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Who are the candidates and who is most likely to
get a gig? Let's bring in Award winning sports writer
and author of the SUPERB subscriber newsletter The Bounce, Dylan Cleaver. Dylan,
presumably you're hearing the same things that we are. Gary
Stead's tenual end, which presumably means that New Zealand Cricket
(01:23):
have decided against splitting out the coaching role between formats,
having a red ball coach and a white ball coach.
They're not going to do that.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Yeah, Essentially, I think there's a great reluctance to split
the roles and I think that's understandable. It's been tried,
certainly in bigger programs around the world. England tried it,
but they tend to go back to the single head
coach system. And within that kind of system you can
(01:53):
bring in specialist assistance for the different formats. But my
understanding is extremely likely to go with the single head coach.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Do you think the players, particularly the white ball specialists,
would like the idea of split roles or not.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
No, I don't think so. I think, well, it's hard
to say rearlier until until you try it, I guess.
But I think there's a fundamental misand understanding of the
head coach role in cricket. I think with the different formats,
your head coach is more facilitated than anything. And because
the modern cricket environment is so fractured, so multi format
(02:34):
and players, the best players in the world are going
from franchise to franchise team to team, format to format.
They don't want to go into an environment where the
head coach is trying to tell them how to play cricket. Essentially,
you want a very consistent personality as your head coach.
You want a very good organizer as your head coach.
(02:54):
And that's what Gary Stead became. And I think that
players had a great deular respect for his consistency of
his personality, consistency of the selection as much as they
might have frustrated us at punters from times time. Yeah,
and just consistency of that environment. And I think that's
what they'd crave more than anything else.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
All Right, Well, the names that have been banded around
as those who did get an interview former ball and
coach of Shane Bond and Shane Jurgensen, incumbent assistant Luke Ronkey,
and former domestic and recent South African white ball coach
Rob Walter. Of that quartet, first of all, who seems
most suitable and secondly, who do you think will get it?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah, it's a tough question. I guess Jurgensen has the
advantage that he was a long time part of that camp,
that black Caps camp, probably longer than the others, Although
Luke Ronky has been in and around the team for
a while now. I think Luke's big disadvantages He's yet
(03:58):
to have a big time head coach role, so his
experience has all been as an assistant. Rob Bolter was
the name that popped up almost immediately, wasn't it. And
I'm not certain it was a coincidence that he left
South Africa when he did, And my understanding was perhaps
(04:20):
one of the reasons he left that South African system
was because of the split head coach role and the
difficulties that wasn't getting guys in that have been under
a head coach at Red Bull and then you just
get them for a week or so and you're head
coaching them and the white ball and I think it
was an awkward fit there. So yeah, I mean, I
don't know, but I would I would be mildly surprised
(04:44):
if it wasn't Rob Walker. I think he's got the
depth of experience as a head coach just slot into
that role. But that's not to say that that's the
same way as the New Zealand Cricket Board.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Think a name that's missing for me is Peter Fulton.
Multiple championship winning coach in a bunch of formats for Canterbury,
former Test player himself of course, and white ball cricketer.
Was it a surprise to you that Peter Fulton's not
in this conversation?
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Absolutely a surprise to me that he didn't get an interview.
If that is the case and the jungle drums are true,
and the four that you previously mentioned are the ones
that made the short list and good an interview, I
would have thought Peter Fulton did it how you meant
to do it. He was probably too early into that
assistant role within the Black Caps, probably realized that that
he needed to get out and get some head coach experience.
(05:35):
He's done that at Canterbury. He's done it extremely well.
Maybe the only black mark against his name is that
he has been a little insulated within that New Zealand
Canterbury system. Maybe the high performance manages at the New
Zealand Cricket field that he needs to get a slightly
more breadth of experience in coaching and perhaps needs to
(05:57):
go to either another association or coach overseas as well.
But yeah, I'm certainly surprised that he didn't At the
very least get an interview.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
All right, well, wait for the outcome of who eventually
does get the top job. Flying under the radar and
I read this with interest in your latest newsletter. We're
all keen to see who the new black Caps head coaches.
But the head of high performance role is also soon
to be vacated by Brian Stronach, so he'll need to
be replaced as well. How important and appointments?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Is this massively important and not important all at the
same time. And let me explain that for a little
bit there. Brian Stronach was really highly regarded. He was
really highly regarded by the players, and I think he
was really highly regarded within cricket circles in New Zealand
of the major associations, and that as a completely ego
(06:50):
free guy who just made sure things worked. And in
that respect it's a massively important role. You've got to
be that interface between the major six major associations, between
the national side and as I mentioned before, and can
mention that nauseam, the cricket world is just so fractured
(07:11):
and complicated at the moment. You need a superbly organized
guy in that head of high performance role that making
sure everything is catered for the needs of the players,
the coaching staff, the major associations has catered for at
a time when more and more and more cricket has
been squeezed into the calendar. And you know, there's so
(07:34):
much more cricket being paid with her that's franchise level,
whether that's domestic first class level, whether it's international level.
And yet there is still only three hundred and sixty
five days of the year, so that role is incredibly important.
Yet it will remain virtually anonymous. I mean, there'll be
people listening to this now that they don't even know
who Brian Stronach is. And I think that's the way
(07:57):
he liked it, and I think that's the way the
guys who worked under him liked it too, all right.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
And the other thing bubbling why is the eminent release
of New Zealand Crickets centrally contracted list. They centrally contract
tweety players every year. This has changed a lot, hasn't
it in the last few years. Players the likes of
Caine Williamson, Devon Conway, Blocky, Ferguson Finell and Tim siphered
they're not interested in central contracts anymore.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Are they No, No, but not well, probably for different reasons.
You know, Finale and Tim seifher to T twenty specialist,
so it makes sense for them to be available for
as many as the high paying T twenty gigs around
the world. With Cain, it's slightly different. You know, he's
at the end of his career. He wants to be
(08:44):
able to sort of dictate his calendar. He's got a
young family. I think he's made it pretty clear over
the last four or five years that his interest in
playing bilateral white ball cricketers as an all time low.
So again it makes sense for him he's going to
have fewer opportunities than the younger guys to go and too.
(09:05):
I just work you'd call the nest egg phase of
your career. But that doesn't mean he's not interested in
playing for New Zealand. I still think in the right circumstances,
he'd love to be available for major tournaments and for
Marquee Test Series And to be honest, and yes, that's
up to the new high performance manager and the new
head coach of the black Caps as to how much
(09:27):
they would want to indulge that. And you know, from
a fans perspective, and certainly from a cricket journalist perspective,
I think Kay Williamson has certainly earned the right to
be indulged, and I think anything we can do to
extend that playing career should be seriously considered.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Absolutely so, Matt Henry number one for you. I know
that I published the rankings they probably should, but Matt
Henry number one for you.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Clear by the length of the straight. For me, his
work over the past twelve months and all formats has
been phenomenal. You know, him missing that G twenty final,
I think he's showed the importance of himself to that team.
You know, he's just turned into a machine like efficient
(10:14):
fast bowler, one of the best we've ever had. And
you know, people tend to forget he had to wait
in the wings a long time to get his opportunity,
and you know, his early results in international cricket were
not good at all. I think at one point he
was a guy who had the highest Test bowling average
for someone who played a minimum of ten Tests or
something like that. So he has learned on the job.
(10:36):
He's terrific. I'm pretty sure Ratchet will be number two
and Darren Mitchell three. Then it gets a little bit
sketchy under that. I think I had Glenn Phillips as
high as number four in my list, and look, I
love watching Glenn Phillips play cricket. But you know, if
he's number four on the list, he hasn't got a
test entry. It's maybe it's a bit of a lolly
(10:59):
scramble under number three. And I didn't have Henry Nichols
making my top twenty, but I think he actually will.
I think he probably will scrape into it. I think
guys like AJS Patel and Eat Sody might be dreadfully unlucky.
And you'll see some of you guys on there, like
Zach Folks, Muhammed A Bass. I think, you know, probably
(11:22):
Miss Reese marry you. I'm guessing a bit here, piney
and taking a few punts, but that's probably the way
I'm looking at it at the moment.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Educated punts. There's always from you, Dylan. People can read
your full list if they subscribe to the Bounce. Always
love chatting cricket with you, mate, even if it is
now winter eve I think winter officially starts tomorrow, but
always great getting cricket with you mate.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Yeah, you too piney. Thank you, no, thank you mate.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
That is Dylan Cleaver. You can read him. He's got
a subscribe and newsletter called The Bounce, which is tremendous,
just terrific, really incisive sports writing drops into your email
in box three or four times a week, depending on
what's going on. I always love reading Dylan Cleaver's stuff
(12:09):
The Bounce. If you want to subscribe, it's really cheap too.
I would say cheap. The writing superb, but it's you know,
for what you get the Bounce, just google it.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Subscribe Cracker For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine,
listen live to news Talk said B weekends from midday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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