Stead appointed New Zealand women's coach

Gary Stead, the former New Zealand opening batsman, has replaced Steve Jenkin as coach of the national women's team. Stead, also a coach at the New Zealand Cricket High Performance Centre, takes over eight months before the World Cup in Australia.

"With the ICC Women's World Cup and Twenty20 just around the corner we were looking for the best quality coach as well as continuity moving into these tournaments," Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket's chief executive said. "Gary is an outstanding coach and has been assisting with the coaching of the side. He is a natural fit for the position. I am confident that he is the right person to take the team forward and deliver results."

Stead played five Tests for New Zealand in 1999 before retiring from first-class cricket seven years later. He joined the high performance centre in 2004 and coached the Canterbury women's team in 2007-08, when they won the State League.

Stead said he was looking forward to his new assignment, with the women's World Twenty20 in England to follow in June, after the World Cup. "This team has a very exciting period of cricket ahead with World Cup and ICC World Twenty20 in the next 10 months," Stead said. "My focus will be for the team to win both of these.

"I want to encourage the White Ferns to play an exciting style of cricket. There are some enormously talented players in this country and I believe I can assist in their game and match awareness to take them forward."