Stead rubbishes claims he wanted to remove Kane Williamson as captain

Wellington, July 13: New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has rubbished claims that he wanted to remove talisman Kane Williamson as Test captain.

Reports in May suggested that there were a lot of differences between Williamson and Stead and the latter wanted Tom Latham to take over the side in the longest format.

"There's no truth to it," Stead was quoted as saying by newshub.co.nz. "I think I probably have philosophical differences with every single person in the team at different times, and that's just about me being a human being and him being a human being.

"That was certainly news to me… certainly had no conversations around that sort of thing.

"At this stage, Kane's our man. He's the guy we've backed, he's been a great leader for this team and I'm sure he will be in the future as well," he added.

A Kiwi TV broadcaster in May had tweeted that Williamson captaincy was under threat as Stead preferred wicket-keeper-batsman Latham over him.

The controversial tweet forced the Black Caps to issue a clarification and a team spokesperson had said at the time that Williamson will remain as captain across formats.

Taking about his relationship with Williamson, Stead said: "I think it's very good. I think it's strong."

"I like him as a bloke, like what he stands for. He's a very values-based person and he adds a hell of a lot to the team," the Kiwi head coach added.