‘The greatest all-rounder we produced’ – Cricket fraternity reacts as legendary Heath Streak loses battle to cancer at 49

Heath Streak. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Legendary former Zimbabwe all-rounder Heath Streak recently lost his battle with cancer and passed away at the age of 49. He was undergoing treatment in South Africa after close sources revealed that he had colon and liver cancer.

With the news of his passing circulating, Streak’s family has yet to make any statement regarding his demise. It is worth noting that Streak was one of the most influential players in Zimbabwe during his time.

He played 65 Tests and 189 ODIs for Zimbabwe, scoring 1990 and 2943 runs, respectively, in the formats. However, it was his prowess with the ball that set him apart from the rest. Taking 216 wickets in Test cricket and 239 in ODIs, he remains Zimbabwe’s all-time highest wicket-taker in both formats.

Making his debut in 1993, Streak was appointed as the side’s skipper in 2000 following excellent international performances. He also wrote his name in the history books after he led Zimbabwe to their first overseas Test series win against New Zealand in 2001.

However, his stint as captain was never smooth. A fallout with the board saw him step down as a skipper in 2001, but he was quickly reinstated the following year. Furthermore, similar reasons forced him to quit the post in 2004 as well.

After his retirement from the sport, Streak was seen in a variety of coaching roles. Becoming the bowling coach of Zimbabwe in 2009, he held the position until 2013, before coming back between 2016 and 2018. Furthermore, he was the bowling coach for the two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champion Kolkata Knight Riders.

The news of his passing heavily impacted the cricket fraternity, as many fans and players took to social media to offer their thoughts and prayers on the former Zimbabwean cricketer’s passing.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to Heath Streak’s passing:

Heath Streak is no more. Sad!! Really sad. #RIP

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) August 23, 2023

RIP Heath Streak. pic.twitter.com/EMU7JP70cb

— Mike Madoda (@mikemadoda) August 22, 2023

Heath Streak was probably one of the finest all rounders for Zimbabwe 🇿🇼

65 Tests, 189 ODIs

4933 runs
455 wickets

Condolences to his family and friends 🙏🏻

pic.twitter.com/jGuwndfDVQ

— Vibhor (@dhotedhulwate) August 23, 2023

Sad news coming through that Heath Streak has crossed to the other side. RIP @ZimCricketv legend. The greatest all rounder we produced. It was a pleasure playing with you. See you on the other side when my bowling spell comes to an end…😔

— Henry Olonga (@henryolonga) August 22, 2023

Heath Streak gone too soon at age of 49❤️

Rest in Power legend, you inspired generations in Zimbabwe to play cricket💯

Stats of one of the greatest from Zimbabwe:

Total Int. Runs: 4933
Total Int. Wickets: 455

Keep him your prayer everyone, may his soul rest in peace🙏 pic.twitter.com/nHZwZhCBU4

— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) August 23, 2023

RIP Heath Streak, it’s a sad day for world cricket. He was one of my favourite Zimbabwe cricketer while growing up. pic.twitter.com/Ym1khvt5Ai

— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) August 23, 2023

Zimbabwe cricket legend Heath Streak succumbed to cancer 22 August. He was 49.

He was the first and only Zimbabwean to have completed the double of 1000 career runs and 100 wickets in test cricket as well as the first and only Zimbabwean to have completed the double of 2000 runs… pic.twitter.com/9TcjAumqfU

— King Jay🇿🇼 (@KingJayZim) August 22, 2023

🚨 Heath Streak – An all-time legend of Zimbabwe Cricket. He was a great bowler & also a handy batsman too.pic.twitter.com/afSgI6axYD

— Abdullah Neaz (@Abdullah__Neaz) August 23, 2023

🚨 BREAKING : Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has passed away aged 49.

He was one of the greatest players of his country. He took 455 wickets in int’l cricket.pic.twitter.com/0hMs1wfP38

— Abdullah Neaz (@Abdullah__Neaz) August 23, 2023

#Sad_News One of Zimbabwe’s all-time finest cricketers, Heath Streak, has passed away. pic.twitter.com/ep7mMOQa8F

— Nawaz 🇵🇰 (@Rnawaz31888) August 22, 2023

Nobody embodied the grit, the belief and the “we can beat any team anywhere” attitude of Zimbabwean cricket in the late 90s and early 2000s as much as Heath Streak did—with bat, ball & as captain. 49 is way too young to go. Terribly sad news for the cricket world

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 23, 2023