In a surprising move, the Andhra Pradesh State Cricket Team have secured the services of renowned World Test Championship-winning coach Gary Stead for the upcoming domestic season. He will be seen with the Andhra Cricket Association for the season.
For the upcoming domestic season, several Indian domestic state cricket teams have looked to revive their standards with the continuous swap of players and several new signings into the State teams, and some have also looked for appointments of coaches and players.
We initially looked for an Australian coach, but then tried Gary Stead – ACA secretary
The Andhra Pradesh State Cricket Team, in a bold move, have secured the services of Gary Stead for the upcoming domestic season.
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“We were initially looking at an Australian coach. Then a friend suggested, why not try Gary? So we reached out to him, and right from the very first conversation, we were struck by his preparedness. He came to the meeting with a complete understanding of our team,” ACA secretary Sana Sathish Babu told Cricbuzz, confirming the signing.
Stead, the former New Zealand legend, is expected to reach Vishakhapatnam in a week’s time, as the parties initially signed a deal for a year before extending it to two seasons.
Gary Stead’s 7-year-long stint with the Black Caps
Gary Stead has been a highly successful coach on the international platform, as the New Zealand side have had a successful seven-year stint with the coach. Earlier this year, in June, he ended his contract with the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) board.
Under him, the Blackcaps went on to rise to the No. 1 position in the ICC Test and ODI rankings. He had also led them to win the ICC World Test Championship in 2021, which was New Zealand’s first major ICC trophy, after missing out on it in the 2019 World Cup final.
The only precondition laid by the legendary coach was that Stead requested the ACA to grant him a leave to visit his home during Christmas, which the ACA readily agreed to, as per Cricbuzz. He is expected to take charge by the 20th-25th of September, after his work visa gets approved.
Setbacks for Andhra after an underwhelming season
Andhra had a very underwhelming season last year, having finished sixth (6th) in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B matches, with one win and three losses in 7 games. Also in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, they ended as the fourth team in the eight-team Group B games and ended their SMAT campaign in a disappointing loss in the pre-quarter finals.
Andhra also faced a huge setback at the beginning of the season, with Hanuma Vihari leaving the state team and taking up a new role in the Tripura State Team. In his absence, the side will be led by Ricky Bhui.
They will all be aided by the former New Zealand legendary coach, Gary Stead, as he brings a lot of experience with him.
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