A lion-hearted fast bowler with immense stamina and strength, Heath Streak has the ability to bowl outswing at good pace and with excellent control, as he showed at Lord's in 2000 when he was virtually a one-man attack. These qualities made him the first Zimbabwean to reach 100 Test wickets. Streak is also an extremely capable batsman who loves to give the ball a whack over the infield, and a magnificent outfielder with a howitzer-like throw.

He was appointed Zimbabwe captain in 2000, but found that the responsibilities - and tension with the board over pay and quotas - affected his form and he resigned. He was reappointed to the role in 2002 but again found himself in the spotlight as the Zimbabwe side disintegrated in the wake of the country's internal turmoil. He was criticised for not taking a firmer political stand, and the subsequent protest by Henry Olonga and Andy Flower further weakened his standing. He again burdened the bowling - and the batting - in Zimbabwe's disappointing tour of England in 2003. The disintegration of the side and the political turmoil in Zimbabwe made the captaincy increasingly burdensome, and in April 2004 he quit after the Zimbabwe board refused to give him guarantees over selection.

After a bitter standoff 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. While he hasn't completely ruled out a return to Zimbabwean cricket, his contract with the Indian Cricket League, which he signed early in 2008, spelled the end of his international career. In 2009, he was named as Zimbabwe's bowling coach.

A phlegmatic character who is hugely popular with team-mates, Streak is a fluent Ndebele speaker and hails from a ranching family near Bulawayo. His father, Denis, played for Zimbabwe in pre-Test days.
Geoffrey Dean August 2009