"The third umpire has called him back" - Henry Olonga confirms Heath Streak is well and alive amid reports of his death

The cricketing world was mourning the loss of former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak on Wednesday, August 23, following his battle with cancer. However, in an incredible turn of events, Streak has dismissed the claims and has stated that he is 'very much alive'.

Streak's former teammate Henry Olonga had shared the news of the cricketer's demise, but he has reverted his statement and confirmed that the 49-year-old is alive.

The duo was an integral part of Zimbabwe's golden generation, where they made it to the Super Six stages of the ODI World Cup in 1999 as well as 2003. While it all went downhill after that, primarily due to political reasons, the team was filled with potential and gifted several treasured memories.

Olonga posted a tweet that included a screenshot of his conversation with the 'now-revived' cricketer.

"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," Olonga tweeted

Social media was flooded with messages of condolences after the news broke out in the early hours. Clips of his best moments for Zimbabwe were circulated as fans reminisced the cricketer's all-round exploits over the years.

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Heath Streak has been battling cancer for the last couple of years

While the former player is thankfully well and alive at present, he was apparently on his deathbed a few months ago. Zimbabwe's former minister of education, sport, and culture David Coltart had stated back in May that Heath Streak's health is deteriorating due to his battle with liver and colon cancer for a while.

The all-rounder focused on coaching following his retirement as a player. He has not been active for the last couple of years due to his health issues but had memorable coaching spells with Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Scotland, and even the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The cricketing world can only hope that he emerges victorious from his battle with cancer, and does not have to go through the arduous task of processing his loss, as they had to do for a few hours.