Gary Stead has been reappointed head coach of the BLACKCAPS, for a three-year term.

Stead, initially appointed to the role in 2018 following the resignation of Mike Hesson, will continue as head coach in all three formats of the game up until the conclusion of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

His reappointment follows an impressive two years with the BLACKCAPS, during which time they were undefeated in Test series apart from last summer’s tour to Australia, and qualified for their second consecutive World Cup final – against England at Lord’s last year.

The BLACKCAPS currently sit in second place on the ICC Test Rankings (behind Australia); are ranked No.3 in ODI cricket, and No.6 in T20Is.

With two Test series scheduled at home this summer (against the West Indies and Pakistan, respectively) there is an opportunity for the BLACKCAPS to improve their chances of qualifying for the Test Championship final, scheduled for Lord’s in June next year.

Stead, whose pedigree in cricket includes a career as a New Zealand Test batsman, a stint as Canterbury coach and a spell in charge of the WHITE FERNS, said he was looking forward to building on the progress of the past couple of years.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be re-appointed”, he said. “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.

“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.”

NZC chief executive David White said Stead’s re-appointment followed a robust and formal process which included consultation with players, NZC high-performance staff, and Major Association high-performance personnel.

He confirmed Stead had been interviewed by an appointments panel last week, following which a recommendation had been made to, and had been approved by, the NZC Board.

“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,” said Mr White.

“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 countback 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.”

Mr White said that, now Stead’s re-appointment was confirmed, a process would begin to appoint a new batting coach, following the move from Peter Fulton to take on the head coaching role with Canterbury.