Former Zimbabwe Cricket Captain Heath Streak Dies of Cancer
NEW DELHI, Sept 3: Former Zimbabwe cricket team captain Heath Streak, battling against cancer for long, died early on Sunday morning, his wife Nadine confirmed. He was 49.
“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,” his wife Nadine Streak wrote on Facebook.
John Rennie, a former Zimbabwe international, also confirmed the news. He said: “He passed away in the early hours of the morning at his farm at Matabeleland. He was surrounded by his family and loved ones. He died peacefully after a long fight with cancer…”
Streak, who was battling liver cancer for a long time, was one of the most decorated cricketers of his time, representing Zimbabwe in 65 Tests, 189 ODIs while scoring 4933 runs and taking 455 wickets for his country across formats. Streak, till date, remains the only player from Zimbabwe with a double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in Tests and 2000 runs and 200 wickets in ODIs. A number of his records still inspire cricketers, not just in Zimbabwe but across the world.
A couple of weeks ago, the news of Streak’s demise had emerged on social media via his former teammate Henry Olonga. However, the news turned out to be false, with Olonga himself taking a U-turn, suggesting the former Zimbabwe skipper was alive.
(Manas Dasgupta)
