11 Facts about Heath Streak: The lion heart

Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak was perhaps the best thing that ever happened to Zimbabwe cricket. Despite being a smaller cricketing nation at the time, they were a feared side. The term ‘giant-killers’ was associated with them all through the 90’s. Behind the curtains of success was Heath Streak. A lion-hearted competitor and a formidable personality, Streak was one of those guys you would take to battle with. A wily competitor, he played the role of the samurai, severing scalps as he did. Although he left Zimbabwe cricket amid a political shambles, he will certainly have more memories than regrets.

1. Birth:

Heath Hilton Streak was born on March 16, 1974, Bulawayo.

2. Fit as a fiddle:

Fitness was always one of the strong points of Heath Streak. With an irrepressible physique, Streak was seldom injured and was a mainstay in the Zimbabwe side. He was part of the side for each and every ODI and Test between 1993 to 2005.

3. ‘Lampard playing against Chelsea’:

Heath Streak was the bowling coach for Zimbabwe when Zimbabwe faced up to the might of the Bangla lions. When he asked how he felt about facing Zimbabwe, he said that he felt like Frank Lampard facing against Chelsea.

4. Streak the Lion Heart:

Heath Streak was the lion-hearted pacer Zimbabwe had always yearned for. Blessed with immense stamina, temperament, and control, Streak could bowl outswingers at pace. These attributes came to the fore when he made his Test debut at Karachi against Pakistan in 1993. He was literally a one-man bowling attack for Zimbabwe in that Test match.

5. The cloak of captaincy:

Heath Streak seemed to have it all. He could bat, bowl and field extremely well. Therefore, the Zimbabwe selectors bestowed Streak with the highest honor in Zimbabwe cricket. He became the captain of the Zimbabwe cricket team in 2000 and would hold the post for the next 5 years.

6. A side in turmoil:

With the ruling party of Zimbabwe changed in 2005, Streak came under pressure from the new government to include blacks in the team. In an interesting twist, Streak’s position in the side too was under scrutiny as he too was unsure of selection following a ruling, restricting the number of white players in the team. Thus cut-short what was to be an exemplary career in cricket for Heath Streak. He didn’t play for Zimbabwe after the age of 32.

7. ICL involvement:

Streak featured in the first two editions of the Indian Cricket league in 2007 and 2008. He played for the Ahmedabad Rockets.

8. Cricketing roots:

Streak has extremely strong cricketing roots. His father Denis Streak also represented Zimbabwe before they became a Test-playing nation. Streak has attributed his interest in cricket due to his father’s playing.

9. A Rhodesia man, born and bred:

Streak hails from a long line of phlegmatic characters. He is also fluent in Ndebele and hails from a ranching family close to Bulawayo.

10. An anti-racial side:

Despite the political situation, Streak always maintained that there was no racism within the side. In an interview, Streak said, “All the players at that time – black and white – didn’t want these racial policies. They just wanted to play cricket and felt that the best XI should be picked”

11. Coaching Roles:

Shortly after calling time on his cricketing career, Streak was appointed as the coach of the Zimbabwe cricket team. He, however, left that post to join the Bangladesh cricket team. He has overseen a complete renaissance in the Bangladeshi bowling and has been credited with their impressive performances. He has also been appointed as the bowling coach for the newly-formed IPL franchise Gujarat Lions.