In good Stead: Canterbury coach eyes Black Caps job

Canterbury’s Gary Stead has expressed interest in the Black Caps head coaching role, but is eager to see a job description from New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

NZC is on the hunt for Mike Hesson’s successor after his shock resignation last week, a year out from the World Cup, where he was scheduled to finish up.

Another contender, Grant Bradburn, who has impressed as Scotland coach, is understood to be keen on the Black Caps job, but is yet to comment on his aspirations.

Stead shapes as an early favourite given his success at Canterbury since 2012, guiding them to three Plunket Shields in four seasons and a one-day title. He also gained experience in the Black Caps coaching environment during the Pakistan test series and Bangladesh ODIs and Twenty20s in the 2016-17 home summer.

NZC is yet to release a coaching job description and outline whether the prospective coach will be in charge over all three forms as Hesson and other Black Caps head coaches have previously been.

It could look to split the position up as some other countries have done with the head coach concentrating on test cricket and ODIs. Someone else might specialise as T20 coach.

‘‘Depending on the job description, I’d certainly have a serious look at it,’’ Stead said yesterday.

‘‘Until you know that it’s hard to throw your name in or out of the hat. I’d be surprised if there’s six MA (major association) coaches in New Zealand that aren’t interested in seeing what it’s about.’’

Stead also coached the White Ferns women between 2008-12, steering them to the final of the 2009 World Cup, where they lost to England by four wickets. He played five tests for New Zealand as an opener in 1999 against South Africa, India and the West Indies, scoring 278 runs at 34.75 with a highest score of 78.

He expected all six domestic coaches would be keen to test themselves at the next level. Stead had yet to hear from NZC on its coaching process, but didn’t expect that information to be far away.

‘‘It depends on what NZ Cricket want, as well. Do they want someone from our system? Do they want someone with completely different ideas? Or someone who’s already in the Black Caps and is over the systems that are used there? That’s all the unknowns at the moment.’’

Of the other leading domestic coaches, neither Heinrich Malan (Central Stags), Bruce Edgar (Wellington) or Mark O’Donnell (Auckland) have definitively said they want the job.

Malan has said he will wait and see NZC’s job description before committing either way, as did Edgar, who said he was contracted with Wellington for another season and that was his primary focus for now. Stead is contracted with Canterbury through to the end of 2020.

O’Donnell, a former Black Caps assistant coach, was also guarded yesterday, in between batting sessions with Black Caps Martin Guptill and Colin Munro.

‘‘Honestly, I haven’t thought about it at this point. I’ve got enough on at the moment with Auckland and Jamaica [Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League] that it would be too difficult to get out of at this point,’’ he said.

‘‘We’ll see what happens and see where it goes. At this point I haven’t committed or decided one way or the other.’’

Meanwhile, Stead confirmed Canterbury, who have two spots left to fill on their 16-man domestic contract list, wouldn’t be targeting the unwanted Jesse Ryder.

The former Black Caps batsman’s career in New Zealand appears over after not being retained by the Central Stags or being signed by another association in the first round of contracting announced yesterday.

‘‘Depending on the job description, I’d certainly have a serious look at it.’’

Gary Stead, left