Chronicle Editor
Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
ONE thing that many may never forget about the late Zimbabwe cricket legend, Heath Streak was his ability to speak SiNdebele fluently.
Streak started speaking the language at just five years old and was fluent in it and that helped grow his beloved game of cricket in the high-density suburbs of Bulawayo as it was easy for him to connect with the youngsters.
That is one thing that Tuskers general manager, Nick Singo remembers about the cricket icon, Streak. The duo worked together in introducing the sport at some of Bulawayo’s high-density suburbs.
Speaking during Streak’s memorial service that was held at Mystique Gardens in Bulawayo’s Fourwinds suburb on Friday afternoon, Singo described Streak as a jovial and hard-working person who will be greatly missed.
“What I remember about Streak is working with him. We used to go together to high-density areas coaching. A good thing about Heath was that he could speak SiNdebele and as a result it was easy for us to go to, either rural schools, or to high-density schools. So, it worked well with me, especially that we were introducing cricket in the high-density areas. He was a very funny character and obviously also a hard worker and as a result, I enjoyed working with him a lot,” said Singo.
Today, many of Bulawayo’s high-density suburbs and schools play cricket thanks to heroes such as Streak who were never busy to help spread the game.
It was a sea of red during Friday’s memorial service as hundreds came in to celebrate a life well lived by one of Zimbabwe’s greatest ever cricketers, Streak, who tragically lost his battle with cancer last Sunday at the age of 49.
During the service, The Old Chevrons such as Hamilton Masakadza, Ray Price, Alistair Campbell, Craig Wishart and John Rennie proudly donned their vintage cricket shirts, while the younger generation, which included the likes of Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine sported the new iconic red jerseys, all coming together to celebrate the remarkable life of an icon.
His two sons, Harry and Kevin also donned the legendary number nine old Chevrons jerseys as tributes to their father.
Also in attendance was former Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry, Sports and Recreation Commission chairman Gerald Mlotshwa, Lady Chevrons star Sharne Mayers, veteran seamer Chris Mpofu, former Cabinet Minister, David Coltart, and Highlanders legend and assistant coach, Madinda Ndlovu.
What many remembered about Streak was that he was a jovial person who loved to tell jokes. His long-time friend, Rennie, delivered a heart-touching message, recounting the time the two met up until he bowled his last. He added that his ability to speak SiNdebele also made him a darling to many.
Growing up on a family farm at Enthokozweni in Inyathi, Matabeleland North, Streak was a man of the people who touched so many lives and the number of tributes that poured in were testament to that. His community in Inyathi cried a huge loss for a man whose door was always open.
Streak left behind a legacy that will last forever, having played 254 international matches for Chevrons across two formats, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Tests. For most of his career, with varying degrees of support, he was the spearhead of Zimbabwe’s bowling, and in his 65 Test matches (second most capped player in Tests for Zimbabwe) he took 216 wickets, he remains the only Zimbabwean to have taken more than 100 wickets in the game’s longest format, for an average of 28.14, with best figures of 6/73 in his final Test match against India in Harare in the 2005/06 season.
In the 50-over format, Streak had 189 caps for Zimbabwe, taking 239 ODI wickets and is the only Zimbabwe to have more than 200 ODI wickets.
He was a hero of Zimbabwe’s first-ever Test match victory, over Pakistan at Harare Sports Club in the 1994/95 season, taking nine wickets in the match. Streak is also the country’s seventh-highest Test run-scorer, with 1 990 runs, and one of the 16 Zimbabwe batters to score more than 2 000 ODI runs, finishing with 2 943 runs.
He finished with one Test ton and 11 half centuries. His highest score in the format is 127 runs not out while in ODIs, his highest is an unbeaten 79 runs. Rennie, also recounted how he reached the 79 unbeaten runs with a six, helping Zimbabwe secure a 2-1 series win over New Zealand.
He was first appointed Chevrons skipper in 2000 before he resigned and was re-appointed to the role in 2002. In April 2004 he quit after the Zimbabwe board refused to give him guarantees over selection.
After a bitter stand-off with the board, Streak finally returned to the fold in March 2005 and was immediately restored to a struggling side. He was appointed captain of Warwickshire for the 2006 season after signing a two-year contract, but quit the captaincy one match into the 2007 season.
When he decided to call time on his playing career, Streak went into coaching. However, his coaching career had always been about playing a supporting role. He had successful international coaching stints with the Chevrons and Bangladesh. With Zimbabwe, he managed to help the Chevrons secure their first ever series win against Sri Lanka in 2007 and with Bangladesh, he scored some great victories over the likes of South Africa in the one-day game and also whitewashed Zimbabwe in the Test and one-day series during his time with the Asian side. He also had coaching stints in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Kolkata Knight Riders.
He was not only just a cricket hero but also managed to get national colours in rugby (Under-19 level) and Fishing. He got his Zimbabwe Fishing blazer, making him one of the few to have managed to represent Zimbabwe in three different codes. He played football within the Bubi District and left a legacy of humility within the Inyathi areas where he toured with the community soccer team.
Legends live forever and Streak’s legacy is one that will never be forgotten as he etched his name, not only in the annals of Zimbabwe Cricket but world cricket overall. – Follow on Twitter @brandon_malvin.
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