John Bracewell says Kiwi coaches had provided a successful formula for more than a decade. Photo: photosport
Former Black Caps coach John Bracewell says NZ Cricket (NZC) should prioritise domestic candidates to replace Gary Stead, continuing a successful recipe for the past 13 years.
Incumbent national men's coach Stead has stepped down from his white-ball duties, but is still considering whether to reapply for the test role, after his current contract expires in June.
NZC said nothing was guaranteed for Stead, as it considered whether to find a new coach to oversee all three formats, or if it is best served splitting the role between white and red-ball duties for the first time.
Dunedin-born Mike Hesson was the Black Caps coach before Gary Stead. Photo: photosport
Former New Zealand spinner Bracewell, who coached the Black Caps from 2003-08, told RNZ the national team had fired under two coaches - Mike Hesson (2013-18) and Stead (2018-25) - who both came from a domestic background.
"That's the important thing for me, that both Hesson and Stead have come through domestic cricket, and they have been our most successful coaches," Bracewell said.
"[Hesson] brought a team through under Brendon McCullum, and they changed the way they thought and played the game of cricket. The other has been able to continue that legacy, and that's not an easy thing to do.
"That continuity over the last 15 years in New Zealand cricket has been extremely impressive. That shows that our high performance coaching programme has been working, that we are developing good coaches within our own programme.
"We have enough coaches in New Zealand to be able to fit into that job."
Bracewell suggested Stead would be best suited to a newly created role, believing NZC should consider introducing a director of cricket "sitting over the coaches", as exists in England.
Bracewell suggests Stead should become a 'director of cricket'. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Stead could then continue working in an area of strength - controlling the balance between player and coach commitments in the international and franchise forms of the game.
One name prominently linked with the Black Caps role was South African Rob Walter, who coached Otago and Central Districts over a seven-year period. Last week, the 49-year-old ended a four-year contract as Proteas white-ball coach, with two years still remaining.
South African Rob Walter has emerged as a candidate for the Black Caps job. Photo: photosport
One reason was reportedly Walter's heavy travel schedule, while he and his family remained living in New Zealand.
Another candidate could be former Black Caps test wicketkeeper BJ Watling, who just steered Northern Districts to a drought-breaking win in the Plunket Shield first-class competition.
Of the local coaches, Bracewell said Canterbury's Peter Fulton may have his nose in front of Watling.
"I'd say [Fulton] has a really good understanding of high performance cricket, while BJ is probably another year or so away," he said, also talking up the prospects of current Black Caps assistant coach Luke Ronchi.
"You've got Jacob Oram coming into the game from the women's game now, and remember Gary Stead came from the women's game into the men's game."
Luke Ronchi is the current Black Caps assistant. Photo: Photosport
Bracewell said high-profile names, like former captains McCullum and Stephen Fleming, were unlikely candidates as national coach.
Fleming would be "very hard to lure" from his role as Chennai Super Kings coach in the Indian Premier League and other contracts, because his commitments were relatively short. Likewise, he said NZC couldn't afford to buy McCullum out of his contract as England coach.
Bracewell had more time for the idea of recruiting former spin great Daniel Vettori, who had been Australia's bowling coach in all three formats since 2022.
Daniel Vettori has been Australia bowling coach in recent years. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
"He's one that certainly I hold in very high regard, as not only a person and a cricketer, but also as a cricket thinker," Bracewell said. "He's a great prospect."
