Former Zimbabwe cricket captain Heath Streak confirms he is alive after rumours of death go viral

The former player has spoken to Sportstar confirming he is alive

File picture of former Zimbabwe cricket team captain Heath Streak posing with former India captain Sourav Ganguly with the Sun Trophy ahead of the Test series in Zimbabwe in 2001. (From The Hindu Archives) | Photo Credit: V.V. Krishnan

Following rumours of the death of former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak, the ex-cricketer has confirmed to several sources that he is alive. Streak has been undergoing treatment for cancer.

The rumour of his death was first posted on X by his former teammate Henry Olonga, who later deleted and shared a screenshot of a conversation with Streak.

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. pic.twitter.com/LQs6bcjWSB

— Henry Olonga (@henryolonga) August 23, 2023

The former player has spoken to Sportstar confirming he is alive. His mother, Karen Streak, told Zimbabwe-based news publication Chronicle that the news of his death was fake.

“Heath is not well, but he is fine. He is here at the farm, walking about and cracking jokes,” his mother was quoted.

Heath Streak is the all-time leading Test wicket-taker for his country. He took 216 wickets and scored 1,990 runs in 65 tests between 1993-2005. He also played in 189 one-day internationals, scoring 2,943 runs and taking 239 wickets.

An earlier version of this story said that Heath Streak had passed away, as reported by Reuters. We regret the error.