Heath Streak, Zimbabwe cricket legend, passes away at 49

Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak, unarguably one of the greatest players to have represented the country in cricket, has passed away at the age of 49. He died in the early hours of Sunday, September 3, at his farm in Matabeleland, following a long battle with colon and liver cancer.

The former cricketer’s wife, Nadine Streak, confirmed the news through a post on Facebook.

“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. He was covered in love and peace and did not walk off the Park alone. Our souls are joined for eternity Streaky. Till I hold you again,” she wrote.

Last month, several news reports stated that Streak had passed away following a post by his former teammate Henry Olonga. However, the former Zimbabwe captain later rubbished the reports and claimed that he was alive. He even expressed disappointment at fake rumors being spread over his death without verification.

Streak played 65 Tests and 189 ODIs for Zimbabwe, claiming 216 and 239 wickets respectively. He was also a handy batter, who scored 1990 runs in Test matches with one hundred and 11 fifties. In ODIs, he notched up 2943 runs with three half-centuries.

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Heath Streak: A champion cricketer

The former pacer was the first Zimbabwe bowler to claim 100 wickets in Tests and ODIs. He remains the only cricketer from his country to have achieved the double of 100 Test wickets and 1000 Test runs as well as 2000 runs and 200 wickets in ODIs.

Post-retirement, he coached Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and a few IPL franchises. Streak’s legacy, however, took a hit when he was slapped with an eight-year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2021 for breaching the anti-corruption code.