eBusiness Weekly
Zimbabwean cricket star Heath Streak said he was “very upset and hurt” by the rumours of his sudden death that swept the internet on Wednesday.
The cricketing world was left in shock after one of Streak’s former teammates announced the 49-year-old had died of cancer.
“It is a total rumour and a lie. I’m alive and well,” Streak told Indian outlet Mid-Day in response to the rumours over his passing.
“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.”
Earlier on Wednesday, former Zimbabwe international Henry Olonga had taken to social media to pay tribute to his nation’s “greatest allrounder”.
“Sad news coming through that Heath Streak has crossed to the other side,” he wrote on X — the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“RIP (Zimbabwe cricket) 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.”
However, hours Olonga performed a spectacular U-turn as he confirmed Streak was in fact very much alive.
“I can confirm that rumours of the demise of Heath Streak have been greatly exaggerated,” he wrote.
“I just heard from him. The third umpire has called him back. He is very much alive folks.”
Olonga then shared a message sent to him by Streak after the reports of his death: “Very much alive . . . pse revert this runout IMMEDIATELY buddy.”
The former fast bowler is one of Zimbabwe’s greatest ever cricketers and was the first player from his nation to take 100 wickets.
Streak played 65 Tests and 189 one-day internationals for Zimbabwe, captaining them between 2000 and 2004.
He scored 4 933 international runs, hitting a lone century against the West Indies in Harare, and took 445 wickets.
Streak was reported to be battling cancer earlier in the year and has been receiving treatment in South Africa.
In 2021, he was banned from cricket for eight years after admitting to several breaches of the ICC’s anti-corruption code.
Streak accepted five charges and his punishment with the ICC in lieu of an anti-corruption tribunal hearing and was barred from any involvement in the sport until March 2029.
The ex-bowler had been under ICC investigation over an extensive list of international and Twenty20 league matches during his post-playing career as a coach, including for Zimbabwe between 2016 and 2018.
The ICC investigation found Streak communicated with an Indian man called “Mr X” during his time coaching Zimbabwe and in T20 leagues across Asia, according to the BBC.
He passed on information on matches and also the contact details of players, including the captain of a national side.
Streak accepted the ban by the ICC but denied the match fixing claims levelled against him. — Dailymailsport
