After multiple reports early on August 23 ran the news that former Zimbabwe all-rounder Heath Streak had passed away, his pace partner with the national Henry Olonga shared another Tweet confirming that the 49-year-old was infact alive and well.
Olonga himself had tweeted the news on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) as the news broke the internet. He wrote in his condolences for the bowler, "Sad news coming through that Heath Streak has crossed to the other side. RIP
@ZimCricketv legend. The greatest all rounder we produced. It was a pleasure playing with you. See you on the other side when my bowling spell comes to an end..."
But eight hours after his original tweet, the bowler has now shared a screenshot of his conversation with the bowler, saying, "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."
Heath Streak is one of the most distinguished players in Zimbabwe cricket history. Over his illustrious 12-year career, he participated in 65 Test matches and 189 One Day Internationals (ODIs), often shouldering the responsibility of upholding the cricketing reputation of Zimbabwe almost single-handedly.
Notably, Streak has the distinguished honour of being the sole Zimbabwean cricketer to claim over 100 Test wickets.
The cricketing journey of Streak commenced in 1993 when he made his debut against Pakistan. He swiftly made a mark, claiming a remarkable eight wickets in just his second Test match in Rawalpindi. 2005 saw Streak hanging up his boots, and after captaining Warwickshire for two years up until 2006, he concluded that phase of his career due to form-related concerns. His last sojourn in international cricket was with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2007.
Even after retiring, Streak's passion for cricket remained undiminished. He ventured into coaching, mentoring teams such as Zimbabwe, Scotland, Bangladesh, the Gujarat Lions, and the Kolkata Knight Riders. Tragically, a shadow was cast over his magnificent career when he faced an eight-year suspension by the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to anti-corruption breaches.
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