Zimbabwe: In a turn of events that caused confusion among cricket enthusiasts worldwide, former Zimbabwe cricketer Heath Streak, who was earlier reported to have passed away, has since confirmed his wellbeing. The misinformation began when Streak’s former teammate, Henry Olonga, posted about his alleged demise. Streak himself later shared a message that he is ‘very much alive’ and requested the correction of the erroneous update.
“I can confirm that rumours of the demise of Heath Streak have been greatly exaggerated. I just heard from him. The third umpire has called him back. He is very much alive, folks,” Olonga wrote in a statement.
Several leading Zimbabwean websites and even the captain of the Zimbabwe cricket team, Sean Williams, initially shared the false news of Streak’s death, prompting a wave of condolences from cricket players and teams worldwide, including prominent figures like Ravichandran Ashwin, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, and Anil Kumble. Even IPL franchises such as the Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Mumbai Indians joined in expressing their sympathies. Subsequently, these posts were taken down as the truth emerged.
Heath Streak, a prominent figure in Zimbabwean cricket history, enjoyed a successful career as both a pace bowler and an all-rounder. Representing his country in 65 Test matches and 189 ODIs, Streak holds the distinction of being Zimbabwe’s all-time highest wicket-taker in both formats. His tally stands at 216 wickets in Tests and 239 in ODIs.
Streak’s achievements also include being the first Zimbabwean cricketer to claim 100 wickets in both Test and ODI formats. He remains the sole player from his country to achieve the dual milestone of 100 Test wickets and 1000 Test runs, in addition to amassing 2000 runs and securing 200 wickets in ODIs.
With an impressive ability to contribute with both bat and ball, Streak’s career stats illustrate his prowess. Accumulating 1990 Test runs with a highest score of 127* and 2943 runs in ODIs at an average of 28.29, Streak consistently displayed his versatility as an all-rounder.
Streak’s captaincy journey was marked by triumphs and challenges. Notably, he guided Zimbabwe to its first-ever overseas Test series win with a historic 2-1 victory against New Zealand in 2001. However, his tenure as captain was characterised by fluctuations and conflicts with senior players and the cricket board.
After retiring from international cricket, Streak remained involved in the sport as a coach and mentor. He held the position of bowling coach for the Zimbabwe national team from 2009 to 2013 and again from 2016 to 2018. Additionally, he served as the bowling coach for the IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018.
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