Heath Streak vs West Indies 2001. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Heath Streak, the former Zimbabwe captain and one of the finest all-rounders in world cricket, tragically passed away at the age of 49. Suffering from advanced colon and liver cancer, Streak passed away in the early hours of Sunday, September 3.
As per the latest developments, John Rennie, a family spokesperson and close friend, confirmed that the former skipper chose to have his remains cremated as his ‘last wish’. In addition to this, he confirmed that a private funeral will be held on Thursday, September 7, followed by a public funeral on Friday, September 8, at the Mystique Gardens in Bulawayo.
“You might be aware he has requested to be cremated so there will be no body, there will be no hearse, it will be more of a service as opposed to a funeral. There’s a private family funeral which will happen on Thursday (tomorrow) and there will be a public funeral on Friday at Mystique Gardens in Bulawayo where his old teammates will be there and his fishing mates. Remember, he got his fishing colours for Zimbabwe and many people will be there, you know he was warm-hearted,” Rennie told the NewsDay Sport.
We were all attracted to that personality like a bee to honey: Family spokesperson
Furthermore, John Rennie reflected on his bond with Heath Streak and how the latter transcended race, gender, and colour and spoke of the larger-than-life character of the late cricketer. Interestingly, he even compared Streak’s charming personality quite similar to a bee’s attraction towards honey. Besides, Rennie also lauded the legend for his never-dying love for Zimbabwe Cricket as he played for the country while batting several injuries.
“He transcended colour, he transcended race, he transcended gender, he transcended everybody. Everybody understood the warmth and the genuine person that he was. He transcended race whether a person was a pauper on the streets or whether a person was a mighty billionaire like most in India, he transcended all of that. We were all attracted to that personality like a bee to honey,” said Rennie.
“He had a wonderful sense of humour, he was the nerve of the cricket team, he was the heartbeat, he was larger than life and he was able to back that up with his performances on the field. You don’t get to be the first best all-rounder in the world and the first best Test player in the world without being able to produce miraculous performances. He was whole-hearted, he bowled under injuries sometimes because of an incredible love for Zimbabwe cricket. He was just an incredible man and I’m very sad to see him go,” he concluded.