State Canterbury Wizards to have new captain

Canterbury Cricket today announced that Gary Stead, captain for the last five seasons, will not be reappointed for the forthcoming season.

Canterbury Cricket's chief executive, Richard Reid, commented that "the chairman of selectors, Craig Thiele, had approached me with this recommendation and it has been endorsed by the Board of Canterbury Cricket."

Reid further commented that "all reviews of the previous season have now been completed and this was a recommendation that came out of those reviews."

Thiele stated that "this does not indicate that Gary is not in our thinking as a player. We see Gary as an integral part of our plans for this upcoming season and beyond. We certainly recognise and value the contribution he has made, particularly in leading the side to two Shell Cup titles over his time as captain."

Thiele continued "It was the unanimous point of view, from the selectors, that it was simply time for a change. There are two or three possible candidates for the captaincy at this stage. We see that it is important to get the best person for the position and to that end we will not be naming a captain until later in the year. "