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The news of legendary Zimbabwe cricketer Heath Streak‘s demise turned out to be a false alarm, as confirmed by his former teammate Henry Olonga. Initially, rumors had circulated on social media, reporting that Streak, a prominent figure in Zimbabwe’s cricketing history, had passed away at the age of 49 on Wednesday (August 22). However, it was later revealed that Streak is alive and well, bringing immense relief to the cricketing community.
The false news had been initially announced through a tweet by Henry Olonga, who later clarified the situation with another tweet. He shared a screenshot of his conversation with Streak, where Streak himself confirmed that he is alive and well. Both Streak and Olonga were teammates during Zimbabwe’s memorable Super Six run in the 1999 Cricket World Cup, a campaign that included impressive victories against India and South Africa in the group stages.
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Olonga’s initial tweet had prompted condolences from several cricketers, including Zimbabwe all-rounder Sean Williams and Indian cricket legends Ravichandran Ashwin and VVS Laxman. These cricketers later deleted their posts after Olonga clarified the situation.
Following this clarification, Ashwin, who had previously offered his condolences, took to Twitter to respond to the situation once more. The 36-year-old openly admitted that he had removed his earlier tweet, which was initially based on the false information of Streak’s passing. Ashwin expressed profound relief upon learning that the reports of Zimbabwe stalwart’s demise were incorrect. Additionally, he offered a sincere apology for his previous tweet, recognizing that it had inadvertently played a role in disseminating inaccurate information.
“I saw Henry Olonga’s tweet and mourned it too. It came from a place of utter disbelief and sadness. Deleted that tweet but glad to know that you are doing fine. @Heathstreak3 Take care and apologies for the inaccurate tweet from my side,” Ashwin wrote on Twitter.
I saw Henry Olonga’s tweet and mourned it too. It came from a place of utter disbelief and sadness.
Deleted that tweet but glad to know that you are doing fine. @HeathStreak3 Take care and apologies for the inaccurate tweet from my side. https://t.co/CMKxqVyhYt
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) August 24, 2023
Streak has been battling liver and colon cancer for some time and had been in critical condition in South Africa. Despite his health struggles, he continues to fight against the disease. The Bulawayo-born cricketer is widely recognized as one of the finest cricketers produced by Zimbabwe. He represented his country in 65 Tests and 189 ODIs, amassing 216 and 239 wickets in the respective formats. Additionally, Streak made valuable contributions as a batter, scoring 1990 runs in Tests, including one century, and 2943 runs in ODIs.
