“The source should apologize”- Heath Streak hurt by the unbased rumors of his death

Heath Streak played 65 Tests and 189 ODIs for Zimbabwe from 1993-2005.

Heath Streak, former Zimbabwe captain, has confirmed that he is alive and doing well, despite fighting cancer, after rumours of his death floated on social media, causing a huge uproar.

The rumours began when his former national teammate, Henry Olonga, tweeted in the morning on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, saying his former teammate had died after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Streak made his Zimbabwe debut in 1993 and played 65 tests and 189 ODIs for his team in his international career. He picked up 216 wickets in tests and made 1990 runs with one century and 11 fifties. In 189 ODIs, he made 2943 runs and picked up 239 wickets, with 13 fifties to his name.

He was named Zimbabwe captain in 1999, taking over from Alastair Campbell.

Meanwhile, after rumours of Heath Streak’s demise caught fire on social media and were covered by numerous outlets, in another tweet a few hours later, Olonga countered his own claim, saying the former Zimbabwe captain was, in fact, alive.

“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 in his tweet.

“It is a total rumor and a lie. I’m alive and well”- Heath Streak

However, apart from Olonga, Streak himself confirmed that he was alive and doing well despite battling cancer and undergoing treatment.

“It is a total rumour and a lie. I’m alive and well. I am very upset to learn that something as big as someone apparently passing can be spread unverified, especially in our day and age of social media. I believe the source should apologize. I am hurt by the news,” Streak was quoted by Mid-day.

“I am at home, and obviously there’s still a bit of strain because of the treatment. But otherwise, I am fine,” the former Zimbabwe captain said.

Since retiring from the game, he has been part of the coaching setups of teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and was also the bowling coach of IPL franchises Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Lions.

One of the biggest names in Zimbabwe cricket, Streak, was handed an eight-year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2021 for breaching the anti-corruption code in 2018.

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