In a dramatic turnaround, reports of former cricketer Heath Streak's death turned out to be false, with the confirmation being made by former fast bowler Henry Olonga. The cricket world was rocked by reports of the former Zimbabwe captain's death and to everyone's relief, those eventually turned out to be nothing but rumours. Olonga took to social media to share a screenshot of his conversation with Streak, confirming that the former cricketer was alive. But he certainly was not happy with all the reports of his death that circulated earlier. The former all-rounder said that he was hurt by this news. "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," a WhatsApp message from Streak, according to Mid-Day, read. The message further read, "I believe the source should apologise. I am hurt by the news." ‘Best Use of DRS!’ Netizens React After Reports of Zimbabwe Cricket Legend Heath Streak's Death Turns Out To Be Fake.

Streak also called for more caution from people who share such news. Quoted by Sportstar, the former captain shared that he was recovering from cancer and was 'feeling better.' “People should be a bit more careful before spreading such rumours. I am better now and recovering from cancer. I am at home and obviously there’s still a bit of strain because of the treatment. But otherwise I am fine,” he said, adding, “Suddenly I get to know that people have started talking about my death, as someone shared it on social media. But that was not all correct. I am recovering and feeling a lot better…” 'Glad Yamraj Ji Overruled' Virender Sehwag Reacts After Henry Olonga Confirms Former Zimbabwe Cricket Team Captain Heath Streak is Alive.

Streak is a veteran of 65 Test matches where he finished with 1990 runs and 216 wickets. In ODIs, the all-rounder was even more impressive, taking 239 wickets while amassing a total of 2943 runs in his career. Notably, he was the first bowler from Zimbabwe to get to 100 wickets in both ODIs and Tests. He had announced his retirement in 2005 after which he took up several coaching roles, having stints with Zimbabwe's and Bangladesh's national cricket teams. In 2021, he was handed an eight-year ban from the sport by the ICC for breaching the anti-corruption code.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 23, 2023 12:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).