India, Sept. 27 -- Former BlackCaps head coach Gary Stead has rejoined New Zealand Cricket (NZC) in a new role as high-performance coach, the board announced on Friday. According to an NZC statement, Stead's responsibilities will include "supporting player and coach development, as well as high-performance programmes." This appointment comes less than four months after Stead stepped down as head coach of the New Zealand men's team in June, following a highly successful tenure from 2018 to 2025.

During that period, he guided the team to three major finals in limited-overs cricket - the 2019 ODI World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy. He also led New Zealand to victory in the inaugural World Test Championship fina...