New Zealand pacer Matt Fisher is set for a new chapter in his career as he earns his maiden Test call-up for the upcoming two-match series against Zimbabwe. The 25-year-old, impressed with domestic cricket with his pace and control, was named in a team that will tour Zimbabwe later this month.

The squad will be without some big names, with Kane Williamson and Michael Bracewell opting to play in England’s Hundred tournament. Kyle Jamieson will also miss the tour for personal reasons, while Ben Sears continues recovering from a side strain injury. 

New Zealand head coach Rob Walter said, ‘Matt's someone we're really excited about,�expressing his excitement for the bowler's debut. ‘He's one of the fastest bowlers in the country, and we think he's got an X-factor. We're blessed to have a large number of strong, fast bowlers in this country, and we're looking forward to adding Matt into that mix now,�he added.

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Gary Stead is the head coach of the New Zealand men’s national team across all formats and has contributed to many of the country’s successful campaigns since taking over from Mike Hesson in 2018. However, New Zealand Cricket reached a turning point when he announced that he would be stepping down from white-ball cricket.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has also stated that Stead is undecided if he wishes to renew his coaching contract which is expiring in June 2025. In later interviews, Stead says that he’s ‘looking forward to getting away from touring life for a whileâ€? 

Stead’s reason for quitting is his hectic schedule

Gary Stead is upfront about why he wants to quit, and that’s to lessen his activities in the sport. The past six to seven months have been too busy for him with relatively non-stop action, and he wants to have some time to evaluate his options. Coaching is still in the future, but perhaps not for all formats. 

Bryan Stronach shares his thoughts on Stead’s decision

The 53-year-old head coach has served the Black Caps with impressive results, and the organisation is comfortable with giving him time to reflect. In fact, NZC Chief High Performance Officer Bryan Stronach has expressed his support for Stead’s decision.

Stronach also shared that the NZC has no strong preference yet regarding how they will handle the position in the future. The options they have are to either push for a split-coaching role or continue with a sole-appointed head coach for all three formats. They are unlikely to be clearer on that until they finalise who’s head coaching for the NZ team. 

Possibilities that Stead will not be a head coach

One of the possibilities Stead has proposed is continuing as a coach for the New Zealand national team, but no longer serving as a head coach across all formats. He could reprise that role for one or two formats while acting as an assistant coach for the others. Stead is still pondering if there is still coaching left in him to continue his career. 

Throughout his seven-year tenure, Stead has led the Black Caps to the ODI World Cup 2019 final and T20 World Cup 2021 final. He also guided NZ to win the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC), beating India in the red-ball format. 

Rob Walter could take over in Stead’s absence

Stead has not finalised his intentions to step away from cricket entirely, but the NZC is preparing for a potential replacement if he chooses not to renew his contract in June 2025. At the top of the shortlist is former South Africa white-ball head coach Rob Walter. 

Walter is expected to take over as head coach of New Zealand’s white-ball men’s team once Stead’s contract expires. However, the extent of his involvement with the Black Caps depends on Stead’s intention to continue as head coach in the other formats. Details are not yet finalised so stay tuned for further updates. 

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