Chronicle Editor
Mehluli Sibanda, Obituary
WHEN I was asked to pen this obituary for my departed friend Heath Streak, I took time to ponder, with some sense of guilt.
I thought to myself, could this legend of the game, not only in Zimbabwe but internationally be summed up in just one instalment? This is a man who left an indelible mark the world over through his God-given talent in cricket, as a player and a coach.
Go to any serious cricket playing nation in any part of the world, they know who Streak is. I recall some years ago when I was still young and energetic I conceived this idea of writing a book about Heath Streak. Sadly, I never took the initiative but for as long as I live, that will come to fruition one day, though it will no longer be the same, with the man himself now departed from this world.
This is a man who holds the records for most wickets for Zimbabwe in Test cricket (216) and One Day Internationals (237). He had another two wickets in ODIs while representing an Africa XI. I have no doubt that if T20 cricket had been introduced early during his playing days, he would have held the record for that format of the game as well for Zimbabwe in terms of wickets taken.
I don’t see his records in Tests and ODIs being broken by any of the current crop of cricketers. He was not only a lion-hearted fast bowler who had the ability to bowl outswing at a terrific pace but he developed into a complete all-rounder, who could be counted on with the bat when required.
His best score was 127 not out in Tests and an unbeaten 79 in ODIs. I vividly recall both innings, the century against West Indies at Harare Sports Club in 2003 and the 79 when Zimbabwe lost to New Zealand in January 2001.
It was Streak’s generation which inspired and captivated some of us who grew up in the townships to get interested in this sport called cricket. Their display at the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England planted the seed, that has seen cricket grow from an elitist sport to a game for the masses.
After the inspiration we got from that 1999 success, I took up cricket and dreamt of playing for my country. As determined as I was it soon dawned on me that I didn’t have the talent to play the game at the highest level. An opportunity was presented to me by the now integrated media group, Zimpapers in 2001 for me to contribute to the game. They were looking for a cricket correspondent and while my knowledge of the game was not as advanced, I worked really hard on sharpening my skills such that my name became synonymous with cricket for years in Zimbabwe.
Whether I was the best, the readers are the best to judge me on that. Streak is one of the people who warmed up to me and we got to be really close over the years and really helped me grow in my career as a cricket journalist.
I recall at some stage, I knew his mobile number like the back of my hand and he took my calls all the time. He spoke fluent iSiNdebele, my native language, something that made me comfortable dealing with him since he could easily pronounce my name.
I remember trips to his home in Turk Mine, Inyathi, to that lovely house nestled on a mountain overlooking the game reserve. Because of my honesty in my dealings with him, I found myself part of his inner circle as the years went by. We grew even closer during the fiasco which saw him removed as captain in 2004 under controversial circumstances. That led to rebel saga, which marked the end of some international careers for some of the players who sided with Streak.
When he went over to England to play for Warwickshire, the communication lines were left open. We had no luxury of WhatsApp back then so the communication was through email, text messages and phone calls.
As the years went by, some of my colleagues in the media starting calling me Streak or Streaky, and I didn’t mind that since this was someone I was really close to. I even made a promise that when I start having children, I will name one of my sons Heath Streak Sibanda and had this crazy idea for years, until of course I had children.
The years of friendship with Streak are evidenced by the cricket shirt collection I have with Streak’s name at the back for Zimbabwe, Warwickshire and Ahmedabad Rockets in the Indian Cricket League. Those shirts will serve as a memory of our friendship which blossomed over the years, with its ups and downs of course.
It was his stint in the then renegade ICL, the league before the Indian Premier League was born that ended his international cricket career. At that time playing in the ICL marked the end of their career in international cricket because the league was unsanctioned.
When Streak ventured into coaching, I offered my support and when I felt he had achieved enough as a coach, I pointed decision makers in his direction when a national coach was sought in 2016. While there was some scepticism, I had no doubt he would deliver and signs were there when he secured a historic away ODI series win against Sri Lanka in 2017. Streak’s biggest assignment was to take Zimbabwe to the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England, something he could not achieve after a painful defeat to the United Arab Emirates at Harare Sports Club, which meant the Zimbabwean team was absent from the 50-over World Cup for the first time since they made their debut in 1983.
One thing that will ensure that his legacy lives on is the Heath Streak Academy. While the facility is now called by another name, it will always be associated with his name because it was his idea. When I had my wedding some years ago I did not look further. Streak’s Academy was the ideal venue and I settled for it because of its sentimental value.
Cricket lovers would recall that the biggest news about Streak over the past few years was his eight-year suspension by the ICC for breaching the world cricket governing body’s anti-corruption code. Even then, I was still looking forward to his return to the game when he had served his ban, he would have been 54 after all.
Little did I know that 2023 would be such a sad year, with the legend departing for a well-played 49, just one run shy of his half-century. In March this year, just after our birthdays as we were both born in March, his being on the 16th and mine on the 23rd, we happened to be on the same flight to South Africa. We spoke briefly as we were disembarking from the plane at OR Tambo International Airport. I couldn’t help but notice that Streak had lost some weight, he used to be huge and I thought maybe he had embarked on some rigorous fitness regime.
Little did I know he wasn’t feeling well. A few weeks later, I got the dreaded news, the man was fighting cancer, I was devastated. Still I had hope that Streak would fight off the dreaded monster, which sadly he couldn’t do.
When the news came through that he had passed on the first time, I refused to believe that and I was happy that it turned out to be fake news. My joy was short-lived, he was gone, this time for real and what makes me sad is that because of distance, I wasn’t able to say my last goodbyes in person as I am now based abroad. When you think of something a lot, you end up dreaming about it and it was the case with Streak’s death, I dreamt about it and when I checked my phone in the morning, his wife Nadine had taken to social media to confirm the sad news.
To his wife Nadine, their children Holly, Charlotte, Harry and Kevin, his dad Denis and his mum Sheona, I say thank you for allowing us into Heath’s life. I just hope that one day his son Harry, a lad I have watched grow in cricket and rugby, can represent the country of his birth and prolong his father’s legacy.
I wrote about Harry way back in 2017 when he was at Petra College Junior before he proceeded to Falcon College from where he got the opportunity to move abroad. I have no doubt that Harry has what it takes to represent the country. Hamba Kahle mfowethu (fare thee well brother). To some of us, you did not die, your cricket legacy shall live on in our hearts and minds.
Mehluli aka “Streaky” Sibanda is a specialist cricket writer and former sports editor of both Sunday News and Chronicle.
Bongani Ndlovu