Heath Streak, former Zimbabwe cricket captain, dies aged 49

Heath Streak, former Zimbabwe cricket captain and the nation’s all-time leading wicket-taker, has died at the age of 49 after battling liver and colon cancer.

“In the early hours of this morning, Sunday, 3 September, 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,” his wife, Nadine Streak, wrote on social media.

An outstanding fast bowler and capable batsman, Streak was a key member of Zimbabwe teams that were competitive against cricket’s bigger nations in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

However, his cricket career ended in ignominy in 2021 when he was banned for eight years for breaching the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Code.

It was announced in May this year that Streak was seriously ill, and it was reported in August that he had died, following a message on social media from former teammate Henry Olonga.Streak himself was quick to assert that he was still alive, but not before numerous former teammates and opponents paid tribute to him.

(Aljazeera)