Former Zimbabwean all-rounder Heath Streak has been diagnosed with stage-four colon and liver cancer. The family of Streak has flown to the United Kingdom to be a pillar of support for him during his final days. The 49-year-old is the all-time leading wicket-taker for Zimbabwe in Test Cricket with 216 wickets and in ODI Cricket with 239 wickets in International Cricket.
Heath Streak was part of the golden era of Zimbabwe cricket between 1997 and 2002 and played a pivotal victory in their famous victory in International Cricket and is going through some tough times with colon and liver cancer.
“Heath Streak is on his last legs. Family en route to South Africa from the UK. Seems only a miracle will save him now. Prayers up (sic),” the country’s Sports Minister wrote on Twitter.
Heath Streak’s family stated the health status of the Zimbabwean legend as they stated that he is undergoing treatment in South Africa and said that he remains in good spirits to fight against the disease similar to fighting spirits in the cricket field against formidable opponents.
“Heath has cancer and is undergoing treatment under one of the most respected Oncologists in South Africa. He remains in good spirits and will continue to fight this disease in a similar vein to that which his opponents faced during his revered days on the cricket field,” the family said.
The family wanted the public to respect their privacy and thanked the cricket fans for their prayers and wishes for the recovery of Heath Streak and said that they would be no further statement regarding his health condition as of now.
“The family hopes that you understand and respect their wish for this to remain a private family matter, and thank you for your prayers and good wishes. There will be no further official statements regarding his health at this time. Any news that becomes public should be regarded as rumour,” he added.
Heath Streak holds numerous records under his name in World Cricket as he is the first and only Zimbabwean bowler to have taken over 100 Test wickets and one of only four Zimbabwean bowlers to have taken over 100 ODI wickets.
He is 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 and 200 wickets in ODIs
Streak is regarded as one of the best cricketers to have played for Zimbabwe. The 49-year-old took up coaching after retirement and also had stints with Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders, he has worked as the bowling coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Previously, he also served as a bowling coach for the Gujarat Lions franchise in the 2016 and 2017 IPL seasons.
In April 2021, Streak was banned from all cricketing activities for 8 years for breaching the ICC’s anti-corruption policies. Streak was found guilty of assisting a corruptor known as “Mr X” to contact players. Streak himself accepted the ban by the ICC but denied the match-fixing claims against him.