Much-needed break for hardworking Gary Stead, says NZC chief executive David White
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive David White has said that Gary Stead's one-week holiday — though it is right after the 5-0 drubbing by India — is a much-needed one given his workload. Earlier former skipper James Coney had torn into the pre-planned holiday, calling for Stead’s resignation.
They’ve won a Test series away and nearly clinched the ODI World Cup, but recent times under Stead has been really difficult to cope for the Kiwis. After a 0-3 whitewash at the hands of their neighbours Australia, the Black Caps were subjected to a 0-5 hammering by India — that too, on home soil. And so, Stead going on a holiday with the Kiwis due a fightback in the three ODIs that followed has triggered a rage amongst the fans.Â
The dissent voiced by Coney, who called for Stead’s resignation on Radio Sport Breakfast, was well met by White, who presented a calm defence of the decision.
"I can understand the passion. It has been a challenging time for us but this planning was done six months ago. Gary has always been reluctant to take a break, the man works very, very hard, so it is something as managers we must manage the workload. Otherwise we will have a burnout. As you know, coaching, at an international level, is one of the toughest jobs in cricket," White said, reported ESPNCricinfo.
"It has been a big time commitment. It is not just Gary, we are constantly rotating the support staff, so we can manage the workload,” he said.Â
When asked if Stead could not have taken the break during any other time on the tour, given the nine-day gap between the ODIs and the Tests, White responded that the management had prioritised T20s and Tests for long series against India.Â
"For this Indian tour, we have prioritised preparation for the T20 World Cup and also the Test match Championship is our priority. When they play a Test match, a lot of preparation goes into it. The guys go into a camp. A lot of planning, a lot of preparation. A big time commitment," White said.Â
The chief executive further added that the top officials have made a general decision to make the coaching roles sustainable in the long-term, especially after they lost previous coach Mike Hesson due to overload.
"We lost our last coach, Mike Hesson, to workload issues. We want to make the role sustainable going forward. That is why Gary is having the week off this week. We have some contact with him. He is a professional. He is a seasoned first-class coach," White added.
