In early June 2025, Gary Stead, the most successful coach in New Zealand, formally resigned from his position, capping an incredible seven-year tenure. Stead, who succeeded Mike Hesson in 2018, is most happy of instilling maturity in his players in addition to bringing honours and achievements.

The Blackcaps advanced to the 2019 ODI World Cup final under his leadership, although they were defeated by England due to a controversial boundary count regulation. Gary Stead led the team to their first ICC victory in 21 years when they defeated India in the first-ever World Test Championship (WTC), despite the hurt of the near-miss.

The 2021 T20 World Cup final, the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy final, and two semifinal appearances in the 2022 (T20) and 2023 (ODI) World Cups went on after that. The former thought back on his time with the squad and all of the accomplishments they made.

During Gary Stead journey, the Kiwis also made history by being the first side to defeat India in a Test series at home.

“I think it’s an amazing honour to be a part of international cricket, and I suppose one of my greatest accomplishments is watching the team members develop over time. And look, over the last few years, we’ve accomplished some incredible things. Winning the first World Test Championship was obviously a very momentous moment for the team. reaching both the ICC tournament finals and the World Cup finals. According to Cricblog, he told Arvind Krishnan, “Yes, we didn’t quite cross the finish line in those, but it has been fantastic to get there against some quality teams around the world.”

“But I believe that this group’s 3-0 victory in India was their finest accomplishment. When you think about the world and what you’re going to attempt to accomplish, I think that’s probably the hardest thing to do. Winning all three Test matches will be among the greatest things this team has ever accomplished, he continued.