Legendary cricketer Heath Streak’s sad death confirmed a week after false reports

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Zimbabwean cricket great Heath Streak’s death has been confirmed.

Only a week ago reports surfaced that the 49-year-old had lost his battle with cancer.

But it soon became apparent that those reports were premature.

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Now Streak’s wife Nadine has confirmed her husband’s sad passing with an emotional post on Facebook.

“In the early hours of this morning … 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 his closest loved ones,” she wrote.

“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.”

Heath Streak has been remembered as a legend of the game. Credit: Getty Images

Concerns for Streak followed his family’s revelation in May that he had been battling colon and liver cancer and undergoing treatment in South Africa.

His former teammate Henry Olonga started the confusion around the first report of Streak’s death, then moved to clear up the news after he was contacted by his mate.

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This time Olonga simply said, “RIP Streaky”.

In Olonga’s premature tweets, however (that he has since deleted), he called Streak the “greatest allrounder” Zimbabwe had ever produced.

Streak played 65 Test matches and 189 ODIs for Zimbabwe and starred as one of the brightest lights of their golden generation in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

He remains the country’s only cricketer with 100 Test wickets and 200 ODI wickets to his name.

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He took over as captain in 2000 but clashed with the board on occasion and retired from international cricket in 2005 when he was just 31.

Streak’s greatest day with the bat in ODI cricket came when the skipper led Zimbabwe to their first overseas series victory with a stunning triumph over New Zealand in 2001.

Arriving at the Eden Park crease with Zimbabwe sitting on 6-146 and needing 128 runs off 20 overs, the required run rate ballooned to nearly eight with 11 overs remaining.

But after scoring just 14 runs off his first 31 balls, Streak plundered 65 off his next 36 to secure the one-wicket victory with eight balls to spare.

He finished on 79 not out with four boundaries and five sixes.

Heath Streak celebrates after hitting a six for the winning runs. Credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images

Streak scored his only Test century against the West Indies in 2003.

He had a five-wicket haul against Australia in 1999 but also led Zimbabwe’s attack in 2003 when Matthew Hayden scored his career-best 380 in Harare.

Earlier that year Streak captained his country as they reached the second round of the Cricket World Cup joint-hosted by Zimbabwe.

His time in cricket came to an end in 2021 when he received an eight-year ban for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption code.

– With Glenn Valencich