Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak, who is currently battling cancer, is alive. Streak’s former teammate Henry Olonga posted it on X (formerly twitter) conforming his health condition.
The pace bowler-turned-singer, Olonga shared a screenshot of his WhatsApp chat with what appears to be with Streak, who wrote that he is ‘very much alive’ and requested Henry to take down his previous update.
“I can confirm that rumours of the demise of Heath Streak have been greatly exaggerated. I just heard from him. The third umpire has called him back. He is very much alive folks,” Olonga wrote on X.
Several Zimbabwe websites, along with captain of the Zimbabwe cricket team Sean Williams were among the first to share the hoax that was Streak’s death, following which several members of the cricketing fraternity joined in, including India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. He was accompanied by the likes of VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble and more. IPL franchises Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians too paid their condolences. All of them later took down their posts.
Streak, a prominent name in Zimbabwean sports during the 1990s and early 2000s, faced a dramatic downfall in his cricketing career. With a remarkable record of 65 Tests and 189 ODIs, where he scored 4,933 runs and secured 455 wickets for his nation, Streak’s achievements shone on the international stage.
Following his retirement in 2005, Streak transitioned into coaching roles, lending his expertise to various teams across domestic and international cricket. His coaching journey encompassed tenures with Bangladesh, his home nation Zimbabwe and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Most international wickets for Zimbabwe
453 — Heath Streak
211 — Graeme Cremer
195 — Tendai Chatara
193 — Ray Price
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