At a glance

Name: Born: Age: Playing career (Canterbury, New Zealand): First-class:

Gary Stead Christchurch 46

❚ 101 matches (1991-92 to 2005-06), 4984 runs at 32.15, 10x100.

❚ 5 matches (1999), 278 runs at 34.75, HS 78.

❚

Beaten finalists in 2009 50-over World Cup (to England), 2009 World T20 (to England) and 2010 World T20 (to Australia).

❚

Plunket Shield winners in 2014, 2015 and 2017, Ford Trophy 50-over final winners 2017.

❚ confirmed on a two-year deal in August, 2018.

Tests:

Coaching career: White Ferns women, 2008-2012:

Canterbury men, 2012-2018:

Black Caps:

or anything like that, so having different ideas coming in, I think that’s important. The modern-day cricketer, they need to hear different voices, and they need to be able to filter what’s right for them and what’s not.’’

One thing clear from Stead’s introduction was that he’s not going to come in and make everyone march to his tune.

‘‘I’m going into the role with my eyes wide open,’’ he said.

‘‘In the first three to six months, it’s your chance to go in with fresh eyes, and I will probably see things that people who have been there for a long time won’t see, because they’ve been ensconced in that environment.

‘‘I don’t intend on going in and changing a dramatic amount. There’s clearly been success under Mike Hesson and Kane Williamson recently and my intentions aren’t to throw that out the window.’’