Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak passes away at 49

Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has passed away at the age of 49 after a courageous battle with cancer. A few weeks ago, fake reports of Streak's demise had emerged on the internet after his teammate Henry Olonga falsely tweeted. However, hours later, Olonga corrected his mistake and confirmed that the legendary Zimbabwean cricketer was still alive.

Although there was no official statement from his family, the fake news quickly went viral. However, this time the news was confirmed by his wife Nadine Streak who paid a heartfelt tribute to her husband with a memorable note and some pictures on her Facebook account.

"In the early hours of this morning, Sunday the 3rd of September 2023, 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. 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," Nadine wrote on Facebook.

Considered one of their greatest cricketers of all time, Streak had been battling cancer for a long time. He has represented Zimbabwe in 65 Tests and 189 OD and has accumulated 4933 runs and 455 wickets across formats. Streak, who made his debut against Pakistan in 1993, captained Zimbabwe between 2000 and 2004. He remains the only player from his country to take 100 Test wickets.

Cricket fraternity pays tribute to Streak 

Many former and current cricketers across the world have expressed their grief over Streak's demise on social media. "Very sad to hear the passing away of Heath Streak. Great cricketer wonderful human being. RIP," former Sri Lanka cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya wrote.

"Sadden to hear about the demise of Heath Streak. He was a high quality cricketer from Zimbabwe. My deep condolences to his family," wrote former India cricketer Irfan Pathan. "Saddened by the passing of Heath Streak. One of the greats in bowling, he was a towering figure in cricket. May god give strength to his family and friends!," former India opener Gautam Gambhir tweeted.