 "Heath Streak dead: Wife Nadine confirms on social media, Henry Olonga pays tribute")
Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has passed away at the age of 49, his wife confirmed on social media. A little over a week ago, false news of his passing was shared which was later retracted by former teammate Henry Olonga. However, on Sunday morning, the former all-rounder’s wife confirmed the demise on Facebook. Nadine Streak, wife of Heath Streak, wrote: “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.”
Henry Olonga, who had started the rumour of Streak’s death with an unconfirmed post and later apologised with a clarification , wrote on X: “RIP Streaky.”
In May it was reported that Streak was battling cancer and undergoing treatment in South Africa. Streak served as the captain of the Zimbabwe national team from 2000 to 2004. Over the course of his illustrious career, he played 65 Test matches and 189 ODIs. Streak’s remarkable achievement lies in being the sole Zimbabwean cricketer to claim 100 Test wickets, a testament to his bowling brilliance. During his 12-year career, he often bore the weight of Zimbabwe’s bowling department singlehandedly. While primarily recognised for his bowling prowess, Streak showcased his batting abilities in the middle-order for Zimbabwe. His batting statistics include 1990 runs in Test matches and 2943 runs in ODIs. Notably, he achieved a Test century (127 runs) against the West Indies in Harare, marking a memorable milestone as it was his first and only century in the longest format of the game. Streak’s cricket journey commenced against Pakistan in 1993, where he made an immediate impact, bagging eight wickets in the second Test in Rawalpindi. The versatile all-rounder chose to hang up his boots in 2005 to assume leadership of Warwickshire in the English county cricket circuit. However, his tenure was cut short due to struggles with personal form. Subsequently, Streak participated in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2007, effectively marking the conclusion of his playing career. Transitioning into coaching, Streak’s career took him to various corners of the cricketing world. He assumed coaching roles with Zimbabwe, Scotland, Bangladesh, Gujarat Lions, and Kolkata Knight Riders. Nonetheless, Streak’s legacy was marred when he received an eight-year ban from the ICC for his involvement in anti-corruption breaches. This significant penalty, imposed in 2021, covered his coaching stints with Zimbabwe, Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, and Kabul Zwanan in the Afghanistan Premier League.