Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak passes away, claim report quoting wife

New Delhi [India]: Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak passed away at the age of 49, ESPNcricinfo reported, adding that Streak’s wife Nadine shared news of his demise on her social media handle.

“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,” Nadine wrote on her social media handle, according to ESPNcricinfo.

Streak was suffering from colon and liver cancer and was receiving treatment at a Johannesburg hospital for a long time, the report claimed.

A week ago, there was a glut of news reports claiming Streak had died. However, the reports were retracted after his former team-mate Henry Olonga, who first posted about his death, in a U-turn, called the claims of his death false.

Streak played a significant role in taking Zimbabwean cricket forward in the 1990s. It was during the peak phase of his career that his country scripted some of its golden moments in international cricket.

He played 189 ODIs and 65 Tests for Zimbabwe between 1993 and 2005. He was the second-most capped Test player for his country.

With 216 Test and 239 ODI wickets, he was their top bowler and the only one from Zimbabwe to take more than 100 Test and 200 ODI wickets. He was also one of 16 Zimbabwean batters to score more than 2000 runs in ODIs and seventh-highest Test run-scorer with 1990 runs.

Streak made his international debut at the age of 19 in an abandoned match against South Africa in Bengaluru during the 1993 Hero Cup, a five-team tournament played in India.
He played his maiden Test match against Pakistan in Karachi. He took eight wickets in the next match in Rawalpindi.

Streak played the 1996, 1999 and 2003 World Cups for Zimbabwe. He became Zimbabwe’s captain in 2000.

The former Zimbabwe captain was banned from all cricket for eight years after he accepted five charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code in 2021.