We regret bringing you the news of Heath Streak’s passing early. Former Zimbabwe pacer Henry Olonga and he both confirmed his existence and good health to some media outlets.
The former Zimbabwean cricket player, Heath Streak, is still alive. A few hours after Henry Olonga, Streak’s erstwhile teammate, wrote on social media regarding his old captain’s passing, the pace bowler-turned-singer sent out another message denying this. Olonga posted a screenshot of his apparent WhatsApp chat with Streak, in which the latter stated that he is “very much alive” and asked Henry to remove his earlier update.
“Reports claiming that Heath Streak has passed away have been highly exaggerated, I can personally attest to. That’s what he told me. That’s a callback from the third umpire. On X, Olonga wrote, “People, he’s very much alive.”
Initial disseminators of the hoax surrounding Streak’s death included a few prominent Zimbabwean websites and Sean Williams, the captain of Zimbabwe’s cricket team. Several other cricketers, notably India’s Ravichandran Ashwin, then joined in. VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble, and other celebrities were with him. Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Chennai Super Kings, three IPL teams, all sent their condolences. They all removed their posts thereafter.
