In a historic scoop, the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has secured the services of Gary Stead as Head Coach of the Senior Men’s Team for the upcoming domestic season. He replaces Tinu Yohannan, who moved to the MRF Pace Foundation earlier this year.
Stead recently concluded his tenure with New Zealand Cricket (NZC), with Rob Walter taking charge.
After eight years with the Black Caps, Stead expressed his desire to step down and chose not to extend his contract with NZC.
“As President of the Andhra Cricket Association, I’m proud to announce the appointment of internationally acclaimed coach Gary Stead as Head Coach of our Senior Men’s Team for the 2025–26 season,” said ACA President Kesineni Sivanath. “His experience and culture-building approach will inspire our players and elevate Andhra cricket to new heights.”
From 2018 to June 2025, under Stead’s guidance, New Zealand reached the finals of major tournaments on three occasions — in 2019, 2021 and 2023 — and claimed the title in 2023 with a victory over India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in Southampton. Prior to that, he had coached the New Zealand Women’s team to the final of the 2009 ODI World Cup and the 2010 T20 World Cup. The former New Zealand cricketer also coached Canterbury to three titles and a final in the Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s domestic red-ball competition, between 2013 and 2017.
“I am honoured to join the ACA as Head Coach of the Senior Men’s Team for the 2025–26 season,” said Gary Stead upon his appointment. “The passion for cricket here is strong, and the ACA’s commitment to development resonates with me. I look forward to working with the players, support staff and leadership to build a team that competes with heart and purpose.”
Considering Andhra’s poor run last year, the state association decided to bring in Stead’s experience. Andhra finished sixth in their group in the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy, with just one outright win from seven games. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, they failed to reach the knockout stages, while in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, they reached only the preliminary quarter-final.
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