Chronicle Editor
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
ONE of the finest cricketers ever to come out of Zimbabwe, Heath Streak has been handed an eight-year ban from all cricket by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after the former national team captain accepted five charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.
The ICC yesterday said the 47-year-old Streak was charged as a participant under the code by virtue of his status as the coach of Zimbabwe from 2016 to 2018 and as the coach of several domestic teams.
Streak was charged for, among others, disclosing inside information in relation to matches in the 2018 Tri-Series involving Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the Zimbabwe v Afghanistan series in 2018, the 2018 Indian Premier League and the 2018 Afghanistan Premier League.
According to the ICC, under the provisions of the code, Streak chose to admit the charges and agreed the sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing.
He will be free to resume his involvement in the game on March 28, 2029.
Streak’s charges came from his involvement with an Indian bookmaker, who is only referred to as Mr X in the ICC documents.
The former Zimbabwe skipper and coach is said to have provided inside information to the bookmaker that he was in contact with for a period of 15 months.
“Streak provided Mr X with the contact details of three players in the BPL (including the details of a national captain), in circumstances where he knew or should have known that Mr X may use these details to contact these players and request inside information from them for him to use for betting purposes. Further, in respect of two of these players, Mr Streak actually contacted the players to effectively vouch for Mr X,” read the ICC documents.
Furthermore, Streak accepted that passing on information to the bookmaker did amount to corrupt conduct under the ICC Code.
He also disclosed that he accepted two cellphones from the bookmaker, something he did not disclose to ICC officials.
“Mr Streak has accepted that passing on this information to Mr X amounted to corrupt conduct under the Code. Mr Streak has also admitted accepting 2 bitcoins from Mr X (subsequently converted into US$35 000 in cash). Mr Streak has accepted that, despite his obligation to do so, he failed to disclose receipt of this payment to the ICC ACU or any relevant Designated Anti-Corruption Official.”
Meanwhile, the Sports and Recreation Commission yesterday said it had been notified of the ICC’s decision and the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation had tasked the National Prosecuting Authority to investigate if Streak had committed any criminal acts under Zimbabwean law.
“The Ministry has requested the National Prosecuting Authority to ascertain whether any of the criminal laws in Zimbabwe, particularly those relating to corruption, have been breached by Heath Streak in order that appropriate action is also taken locally by the NPA,” read the SRC statement.
As the ICC announced a ban on Streak, the future of the Old Mutual Heath Streak Academy is now under the spotlight since the founder is not allowed any involvement in the game until 2029.
In March 2017, Streak assumed presidency of the Old Mutual Heath Streak Cricket Academy Trust.
Yesterday, the academy’s chief executive officer Joseph Rego said the institution’s board of trustees will hold an emergency board meeting tomorrow and will issue a statement on the way forward. — @Mdawini_29
Online Reporter