Credit: ACA/Google
Gary Stead, who was associated with New Zealand in coaching for seven years from 2018 to 2025, has been appointed as the head coach of the Andhra men's cricket team for the 2025-26 domestic season. Stead, during his stint with the New Zealand cricket team, delivered the World Test Championship (WTC) mace to the Kiwi team’s supporters in 2021. Under his leadership, New Zealand also qualified for the finals of the Cricket World Cup in 2019 and T20 World Cup in 2021. In both ICC tournaments, it was New Zealand’s first final appearance.
Stead has been signed up for one year by the Andhra Cricket Association (AC\A) with an extension likely. Under Stead, New Zealand also registered their maiden Test series win on Indian soil. In the three-match Test series played in 2024, the Kiwi team whitewashed India by 3-0 and scripted history. This can be called Stead’s one of the best achievements in his coaching career. Noting his scintillating success, Andhra cricket has acquired him for the 2025-26 season.
Speaking on Stead’s appointment with Cricbuzz, the ACA secretary Sana Sathish Babu said, "We were initially looking at an Australian coach. Then a friend suggested, why not try Gary? So we reached out to him, and right from the very first conversation, we were struck by his preparedness. He came to the meeting with a complete understanding of our team."
Gary Stead to reach Visakhapatnam soon ahead of Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season
Gary Stead will reach Visakhapatnam in a week’s time to join the Andhra Pradesh team. His work visa in India has been approved and he is likely to start his tenure between September 20 to 25. ACA has also agreed to give a leave to Stead during the upcoming Christmas.
Discussing Andhra’s performance in 2024, they concluded their Ranji Trophy season in the sixth spot in Elite Group B with one win and three defeats in seven outings. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, they were fourth position in the eight teams in Group B while in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25, they had topped their group but lost to UP in the pre quarter-finals.
