BULAWAYO – Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak, who had been undergoing treatment for cancer, has died at the age of 49, his wife announced on Sunday.
Streak died at his home in Bulawayo “surrounded by his family and closest loved ones,” said Nadine Streak in a Facebook post.
“In the early hours of this morning, September 3, 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…,” she said.
“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.”
Streak was rumoured to have died last month after ex-teammate Henry Olonga tweeted that he had “crossed to the other side.” He later retracted the death notice after speaking to Streak, then receiving treatment for colon and liver cancer in South Africa.
The allrounder was the all-time leading test wicket-taker for Zimbabwe. He took 216 wickets and scored 1,990 runs in 65 tests between 1993-2005. He also played in 189 one-day internationals, scoring 2,943 runs and taking 239 wickets.
Post-retirement Streak served as Bangladesh coach and was the bowling coach of the Zimbabwe national team and twice Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight Riders.
In 2021 he was given an eight-year ban from the sport after admitting breaches of the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption code. He took “full responsibility” for his actions but said he was never involved in any attempts to fix matches.
Former sports minister David Coltart said Streak “fought a courageous fight” in his cancer battle first reported in May this year.
“Zimbabwe has lost a truly remarkable patriot,” Coltart wrote on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter.
