Heath Streak who passed away on Sunday was one of those rare all rounders who could turn a match around with his personal brilliance. He belonged to the golden generation of Zimbabwe cricketers who made their team a force to reckon with in world cricket. After he and his teammates left the scene, the performances of Zimbabwe dipped drastically.
A few days ago there had been a rumour that he had passed away. But this time his wife Nadine disclosed the news on Facebook. She wrote: “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.”
Streak was Zimbabwe’s all time leading wicket taker with 216 Test wickets and 239 ODI wickets. He was the only Zimbabwe bowler to have taken more than 100 Test wickets and one of the four who took more than 100 ODI wickets. Seven times he took five or more wickets in Test cricket and this too is an unbeaten record for Zimbabwe.
As a hard hitting batter he was no push over. He had a top score of 127 in Test cricket. As a captain he inspired his teammates by setting an example for others to follow. Under his captaincy, Zimbabwe scored its first ever Test victory over India in a Test match in 2001.
A gentle giant
This correspondent had an interesting interaction with Streak when he visited Hyderabad in the 1990s. The first impression one got when meeting Streak was that he was a gentle giant who was immensely strong but at the same time quiet and gentle in his manners. Shaking hands with him felt like trying to shake a wooden log.
An invitation from Streak
After my interview with him, he invited me to visit his ranch in Zimbabwe where he lived with his wife Nadine and their children. He said that he owned a huge area of land near Bulawayo on which he kept many wild animals. He often arranged hunting trips for his friends to shoot small game. On one occasion, during a series of matches between India and Zimbabwe, the entire Indian team landed up at his ranch to have a new kind of experience.
Family of landowners
Streak’s father Dennis Streak (who was also a cricket player) and his grandfather were landowners since 1899. But a considerable portion of their land was later taken over by the government for various purposes. However, on the remaining portion they still maintained cattle, wildebeest, zebra and small animals like rabbits.
Heath Streak who was born in Bulawayo played cricket as well as rugby when he was in teens. When playing cricket both father and son played together for the Matabeleland team. After making his way up the ladder, Heath Streak made his ODI debut against South Africa in 1993 and his Test debut against Pakistan the same year.
Excellent rugby player too
Streak continued to be an excellent rugby player. He was tall but not extremely tall. However, he was burly in build and physically he was very imposing. One could imagine what his opponents felt like while playing rugby. Trying to tackle him in the midst of his run would be like trying to stop a battle tank.
Racial issues plagued Zimbabwe cricket
His cricket career was not without controversy. He had frequent disagreements with his cricket board and in 2021 the ICC banned him on charges of corruption. During his final years racial tensions also played a role in dragging down Zimbabwe cricket. He once said in an interview that he was instructed to tell white players that they were not talented enough and would soon be replaced by black players.
When a quota system was implemented for black players, it rang the death knell for Zimbabwe cricket. During the 2003 World Cup, Heath Streak and several of his teammates wore black armbands to protest against the death of democracy in Zimbabwe under the rule of Robert Mugabe. White cricketers faced discouragement because of the colour of their skin.
All these factors led to the decline of Zimbabwe cricket.
Heath Streak’s own health took a turn for the worse when he was diagnosed with cancer several months ago. After a brave fight against the dreaded disease, the former captain of Zimbabwe finally lost the battle and left the field forever. He left many cricket fans in deep sorrow and with only memories of his brilliant playing skills.
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