Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Sep 14: Gary Stead has been named as the new head coach of the Andhra cricket team for the 2025-26 domestic season, replacing Tinu Yohannan, who moved to the MRF Pace Foundation earlier this year. The Andhra Cricket Association welcomed Stead on social media, noting that “Andhra cricket enters a new era under his guidance, aiming for bigger milestones and top-tier performances this season.”

Stead, 53, coached the New Zealand men’s team from 2018 until June 2025, leading them to the World Test Championship title in 2021. He also guided New Zealand to three global limited-overs finals: the 2019 ODI World Cup, 2021 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy. His coaching record includes a historic 3-0 Test series win in India and stints with New Zealand Women and Canterbury, where he claimed multiple domestic titles.

As a player, Stead featured in five Tests for New Zealand, scoring 278 runs at an average of 34.75, along with 101 first-class matches and 103 List A games, amassing 4,984 and 2,173 runs respectively.

Andhra had a disappointing 2024-25 season, finishing sixth in their Ranji Trophy group with only one outright win, failing to progress in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and exiting in the preliminary quarter-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The team will open their 2025-26 Ranji Trophy campaign against Uttar Pradesh on October 15.