The cricketing world has been left in shock with the news that former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has passed away after at the age of 49 after a battle with cancer.
The former fast bowler was one of Zimbabwe’s greatest ever cricketers and was the first player from his nation to take 100 wickets.
Streak played 65 Tests and 189 one-day internationals for Zimbabwe, captaining them between 2000 and 2004.
Streak was Zimbabwe’s skipper between 2000 and 2004 and was the first player from his nation to take 100 wickets
In May, Streak was reported to be battling with cancer and receiving treatment
He scored 4,933 international runs, hitting a lone century against the West Indies in Harare, and claimed 445 wickets.
Streak was reported to be battling cancer earlier in the year and had been receiving treatment in South Africa.
In 2021, he was banned from cricket for eight years after admitting to several breaches of the ICC’s anti-corruption code.
Streak accepted five charges and his punishment with the ICC in lieu of an anti-corruption tribunal hearing and was barred from any involvement in the sport until March 2029.
The ex-bowler had been under ICC investigation over an extensive list of international and Twenty20 league matches during his post-playing career as a coach, including for Zimbabwe between 2016 and 2018.
The ICC investigation found Streak communicated with an Indian man called ‘Mr X’ during his time coaching Zimbabwe and in T20 leagues across Asia, according to the BBC.
He passed on information on matches and also the contact details of players, including the captain of a national side.
Streak accepted the ban by the ICC but denied the match fixing claims levelled against him.
Streak was banned from cricket for eight years after admitting to several breaches of the ICC’s anti-corruption code in 2021
Streak is the all-time leading wicket taker for his nation in Test cricket with 216 wickets and in ODI cricket with 239 wickets
Ex-Zimbabwe player Henry Olonga took to social media on Tuesday to pay tribute to his nation’s ‘greatest allrounder’.
‘Sad news coming through that Heath Streak has crossed to the other side,’ wrote Olonga.
‘RIP [Zimbabwe cricket] legend. The greatest all rounder we produced. It was a pleasure playing with you.
‘See you on the other side when my bowling spell comes to an end.’
Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams tweeted: ‘Streaky. No words can explain what you and your family have done for mine and many others.
‘Our hearts our broken you leave behind a beautiful family and a legacy for us to live up to! You will b missed we love you dearly. Rest in peace Streaky.’
Cricket writer Bharat Sundaresan wrote on Twitter: ‘Nobody embodied the grit, the belief and the ‘we can beat any team anywhere’ attitude of Zimbabwean cricket in the late 90s and early 2000s as much as Heath Streak did—with bat, ball & as captain. 49 is way too young to go. Terribly sad news for the cricket world
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