New Delhi: Former Zimbabwe cricketer Heath Streak passed away early Sunday after battling colon and liver cancer. The 49-year-old was at his farm in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, with his family during his last days.
His wife Nadine Streak confirmed his death with a post on Facebook. It read, “In the early hours of this morning, Sunday the 3rd of September 2023, the greatest love of my life and the father of my beautiful children, was carried to be with the Angels from his home where he wished to spend his last days surrounded by his family and closest loved ones…Our souls are joined for eternity Streaky. Till I hold you again.”
On 23 August, rumours about Streak’s death spread fast following a social media post from a former colleague, Henry Olonga. However, subsequent updates from both Streak and Olonga clarified that this news was false. Olonga even issued a public apology for his post.
Streak said he was hurt that unverified news was being spread about his health. “It is a total rumour and a lie. I’m alive and well. I am very upset to learn that something as big as someone apparently passing can be spread unverified, especially in our day and age of social media,” Streak was quoted by media reports as saying then.
Brilliant career
In his cricketing career, Streak achieved many milestones. He was the first Zimbabwean cricketer to claim 100 wickets in ODI format. He also holds the distinction of being the sole cricketer from Zimbabwe to achieve the double feat of 100 Test wickets and 1,000 Test runs. In ODIs, he remains the only player from his country to amass 2,000 runs and also take 200 wickets.
Streak’s cricketing journey began with his Test and ODI debuts in 1993, eventually culminating in his appointment as the captain of the national team during the 1999-2000 season. He played his last test against India in 2005. His highest International Cricket Council (ICC) ranking, both in Test and ODI cricket as an all-rounder, was 5, according to the ICC website.
Regarded as one of Zimbabwe’s cricket legends, Streak faced a significant setback in 2021 when the ICC imposed an eight-year ban on him for allegedly violating the anti-corruption code back in 2018. After retiring from international play, Streak transitioned into coaching, lending his expertise to various international teams, including Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. He also had stints with Indian Premier League franchises such as Kolkata Knight Riders and the now-defunct Rajkot team Gujarat Lions.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
Also read: Grandmasters are not made in a day. Chennai’s chess industry is a well-oiled machine