Heath Streak was receiving treatment in South Africa after being identified as having colon and liver cancer, according to friends and family.
Heath Streak, a legendary cricketer from Zimbabwe, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 49 after a protracted battle with cancer. After receiving a diagnosis of what friends and family members characterized as colon and liver cancer, he was receiving treatment in South Africa.
Sean Williams, the current captain of Zimbabwe, and Henry Olonga, a former fast bowler for Zimbabwe, expressed their sorrow and sympathies on the social media site X (formerly known as Twitter). However, Streak’s family has not yet released a formal statement.
Heath Streak has moved over to the other side, which is sad news. R.I.P., @ZimCricketv legend. The best all-arounder we ever created. It was wonderful to play with you. When my bowling streak is over, see you on the other side,” remarked Olonga.
“Dirty. How you and your family have helped my and numerous others is beyond anything that can be put into words. Our hearts are shattered because you’ve left us with a lovely family and a legacy to uphold. We love you and will miss you frightfully. Streaky, may you rest in peace,” stated Sean Williams.
A review of Heath Streak’s professional life
The former captain of Zimbabwe played for his nation in 189 ODIs and 65 Tests. In both Tests and ODIs, he is still Zimbabwe’s all-time leading wicket-taker. The former right-arm bowler has 239 ODI and 216 Test wickets.
The first cricketer from Zimbabwe to record 100 wickets in both Tests and ODIs is Streak. The only cricketer from Zimbabwe to score 2000 runs and take 200 wickets in one-day internationals, he is also the only one to complete the double of 100 Test wickets and 1000 Test runs.
The fearless all-rounder, who excelled at using the new ball, was also capable of hitting the ball hard in the lower middle order. This is demonstrated by his 2943 runs at an average of 28.29 in ODIs and 127* in Tests from 1990.
Streak made both his Test and One-Day International debuts in 1993, and in 2000, he was named captain of the team after consistently producing both with the bat and with the ball.
In 2001, he led Zimbabwe to a 2-1 triumph over New Zealand, giving the country its first-ever Test series victory abroad. The path he traveled as captain, however, was never easy.
He resigned from captaincy because to disagreements over player quotas between senior players and the board, but he was later restored in 2002. As top players, including Olonga, staged a protest against the Zimbabwean government, he was presented with a fresh problem. In 2004, Streak once more resigned as captain following a dispute with the board.
Streak returned in 2005 and played his final Test match against India in September of that year before joining Warwickshire, an English county team.
In 2009, he was appointed the Zimbabwean team’s bowling coach. He served in that capacity until 2013. Between 2016 and 2018, he served as a member of the Zimbabwean team’s support staff for the second time. In 2018, he also worked as Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL bowling coach.