Remember Henry Olonga? Former Zimbabwean World Cup Cricketer Has Turned Amazing Singer; Watch Video of His Performance in the Voice Australia
Henry Olonga was the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe. He appeared in an audition of The Voice Australia, a singing competition, and even progressed to the next round after impressing the judges.
Former Zimbabwean fast bowler Henry Olonga, who represented Zimbabwe in the 2003 World Cup, made it to the second round of The VOICE Australia – a singing competition in the country – on Monday.
Olonga, who is the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe, sang “This is the Moment” by Anthony Warlow in the audition round. He even impressed the judges and was allowed to enter the next round of the competition. Funny Football Video: Referee Accidentally Scores Goal in Dutch Fourth Division League, Awards It to Himself!
The 42-year-old had to retire prematurely from international cricket after the 2003 World Cup following death threats in his native country. This was after he and teammate Andy Flower wore black armbands during Zimbabwe’s 2003 World Cup match against Namibia to protest against Robert Mugabe’s presidency and “mourn the death of democracy” in Zimbabwe.
He lived in self-imposed exile in England for 12 years, before moving to Australia. He now lives in Adelaide with his wife Tara and two daughters. During his time as an international cricketer, Olonga was regarded as one of the fastest bowlers and on Monday showed his singing talent. Henry was given a huge-round of applause and a standing ovation by the judges at the end of his performance, which made the former cricketer emotional.
Watch Video of Henry Olonga at The Voice Australia
Former South African fast bowler, Shaun Pollock also retweeted the video and spoke in high regards for Olonga. "From the first time I heard you sing ..I have always been impressed," he wrote in a post.
Check Shaun Pollock’s Tweet:
"Music is special to me because I sang as a soloist in the choir every term of my schooling. It became a very important part of my education," he later said. "I've been singing a lot of music since I retired from my previous career. I just wanna sing now. Just sing,” added Olonga.
World Cup winner and a former Australia coach, Darren Lehmann, also wished Henry luck as he competes in the singing competition.
Check Out Darren Lehmann’s Tweet Here:
Just watched @henryolonga on @TheVoiceAU, what a great performance. Good luck Henry!
Olonga played 30 Tests and 50 One-Day matches for Zimbabwe, picking up a total of 126 wickets. Only time will tell if Olonga successfully wins the competition. But for now, he has certainly won over the audiences with his singing talent.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 28, 2019 06:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).