Streak slaps $1m lawsuit against Mukuhlani

Heath Streak, former Zimbabwe coach, has slapped a $1 million defamation lawsuit against Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) board chairperson, Tavengwa Mukuhlani, for alleged 'slanderous statements'.

Streak's lawyer Gerald Mlotshwa stated in the claim that the board chairperson's statement was "deliberately intended to tarnish the plaintiff's reputation".

In an interview with Daily News, Mukuhlani had said: "Streak was the coach and selector, he was entitled to change the team as he found fit but the question is: why did he change the team in the manner that he did?

"The white players knew PJ Moor was going to play [against UAE] but none of the black players knew about it. Zhuwao was only informed [that he wouldn't play] in the warm-up. Why didn't Streak inform the entire team?"

Streak, who who was sacked from his position as the head coach following Zimbabwe's failure to reach the 2019 World Cup, had vehemently denied charges of racism in a social media release and has now gone ahead with the lawsuit.

"The defendant knew fully well or ought to have known at the time he uttered the words that his words were baseless. His words were malicious and deliberately intended to tarnish the plaintiff's reputation," Mlotshwa, Streak's lawyer said.

"Further, the defendant deliberately and maliciously failed to verify the accuracy and truthfulness of his wrongful and malicious utterances before dishing such words to journalists for the attention of the general public.

". . . . as a result the defendant's defamatory utterances and resultant publication thereof, the plaintiff's standing as a professional cricketer and a patriot has been diminished and soiled and soiled locally, regionally and internationally. His chances of getting employed elsewhere as a coach have been thwarted.

"By reason of the defamatory words, the plaintiff has suffered damage to his name and reputation and in all has suffered damages in the combined amount of USD 10,00,000," Mlotshwa noted.

After sacking Streak and the entire management team, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) have started the process of hiring a new coach by calling for applications from interested parties.

Source: Cricbuzz