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Streak has been contending with a prolonged illness and is undergoing medical treatment in his home country of Africa. As rumors of his passing spread, cricketers including Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag, and Scott Styris expressed their condolences.
Among those who shared their sympathies was Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who took to X (Twitter) to extend his condolences to Streak. Subsequently, Ashwin issued a follow-up message acknowledging the inaccuracy of his previous tweet and apologizing.
Upon seeing Henry Olonga’s update confirming Streak’s well-being, Ashwin expressed his initial disbelief and sadness, which led to his initial tweet. He deleted the original message and conveyed his relief that Streak was safe. He also apologized for sharing a tweet that turned out to be inaccurate, stating, “@HeathStreak3 Take care and apologies for the inaccurate tweet from my side.”
I saw Henry Olonga’s tweet and mourned it too. It came from a place of utter disbelief and sadness.
Deleted that tweet but glad to know that you are doing fine. @HeathStreak3 Take care and apologies for the inaccurate tweet from my side. https://t.co/CMKxqVyhYt
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) August 24, 2023
Former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag also weighed in on the situation by resharing Olonga’s updated post. In his signature humorous style, Sehwag thanked the apparent divine intervention for safeguarding Streak and said, “Thank you for confirming Henry. Glad Yamraj ji overruled.”
Streak, expressing his dismay at the false news of his death, emphasized that those responsible for spreading unverified information should offer an apology. He stated his disappointment with the propagation of such significant news without proper verification, particularly in the era of rampant social media.
Streak, who retired in 2005 at the age of 31, remains the only Zimbabwean bowler to have taken over 100 Test and more than 200 ODI wickets.
