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Published 16:22 IST, August 26th 2023

Ex-Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Olonga issues heartfelt apology after Heath Streak death saga

Amidst the ongoing Heath Streak death rumours, Former Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Olonga has issued a personal apology for spreading the fake news.

Reported by: Saksham Nagar
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Former Zimbabwe cricketers Henry Olonga and Heath Streak (Image: Instagram and AP) | Image: self
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The cricket world was extremely shocked after hearing the sudden death news of former Zimbabwe cricketer Heath Streak earlier this week. Popular Zimbabwean cricketers like Henry Olonga and Sean Williams shared posts on social media related to Streak's death. However, it was Heath Streak himself who dismissed all the claims related to his death with a press conference. 

3 things you need to know 

  • Heath Streak played a total of 65 Tests and 189 ODIs for Zimbabwe
  • Heath Streak is the leading wicket-taker for Zimbabwe in ODIs and Test matches 
  • Heath Streak is currently diagnosed with cancer and is receiving treatment at his house 

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Henry Olonga seeks an apology after Heath Streak's death fiasco 

Former Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Olonga was the first to confirm Heath Streak's death on social media, and later many others started paying their tribute to Streak, posting Olonga's social media post. However, in the end, Streak dismissed all the fake claims circulating around his death. 

Three days later, after the Heath Streak death controversy, Henry Olonga issued a public apology and wrote a post on his official Facebook account. Olonga's post read: 

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When news came to me that Heath was unwell earlier this year, I made a concerted effort to reconnect after life had us all immersed in our own worlds. Heath has kept me up to date with all that is going on with treatment etc and we have had good contact throughout. The same with Nadine. They are the closest friends I have from the world of Zimbabwe cricket. Most others I have less interaction with.

In any case, I was informed that Heath had taken a turn for the worse. We were encouraged to write kind words for his eulogy. So it appeared imminent. I will not go into too much detail about how the mis-communication occurred, but rest assured, I heard the story first on Facebook like everyone else. I did immediately text Heath and Nadine to verify. It was a while before they could respond as it was late at night. I texted a few close cricket colleagues who know the family well and they confirmed it was true.

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Henry Olonga's international career 

Henry Olonga played a total of 30 Tests and 50 ODIs for Zimbabwe and picked up 68 and 58 wickets respectively in his international career. 

16:22 IST, August 26th 2023