“The whole idea is taking young players, 11 or 12 years old, through to representative and professional environments.”
Cricket Whanganui general manager Pete Bowman said youth cricket in the district had “a really solid base”.
“We’ve got an opportunity for Debu to use his 20-plus years of experience in this space,” he said.
“He’s delivered everything from youth to representative cricket, and has been involved in developing the likes of Tom Bruce, Will Young [Black Caps] and Kate Ebrahim [White Ferns].
“Debu brings a plethora of connections, not just in Central Districts but the wider cricket community.”
Banik arrived in Taranaki in 2003, starting as a professional player before becoming head coach of the Taranaki men’s team and the Shrimpton Trophy women’s side.
He also spent 10 years developing Francis Douglas Memorial College’s cricket programmes and was involved in the Central Hinds coaching set-up.
“Connectivity is a huge part of the role and, rather than sitting in the office and looking at a screen, we’ll be putting Cricket Whanganui out there and letting people know we are there for them,” he said.
“In the background, you’re doing your homework, but you’re also meeting with schools, clubs, and other organisations.”
Banik takes over from director of coaching Greg Smith and female development officer Verity Johnson, who had a three-year stint in Whanganui from Berkshire, United Kingdom.
Whanganui senior men’s coach Warren Marr said he had known Banik for a long time.
“We’ve coached together, been at conferences together and had a few beers together,” he said.
“I’m pretty sure we’ll complement each other well.”
Marr said the senior men’s side had a good season in 2024/25, including victories over Taranaki and Horowhenua and the “game of the year” against Nelson, which Whanganui lost by one run.
“I was pretty pleased, we finished where we hoped we would finish.
“We’ll miss Greg’s [Smith] leadership, but young Shaun O’Leary is stepping up as captain this year.”
Bowman said work was ongoing to improve the standard of cricket in the district.
“Last year, we played from October to April, which is the most in the last five to 10 years.
“I think people are starting to respect us again for what we deliver, pound for pound, within the region.”
He said Banik was one of 30 applicants for the role, but the Cricket Whanganui panel was unanimous in its decision, recognising his “experience, leadership and proven ability to grow the game across all levels”.
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
