Former Zimbabwean fast bowler Henry Olonga has publicly apologized for his previous announcement regarding the alleged death of his former teammate Heath Streak.
Olonga initially posted on social media about Streak’s passing, which garnered significant attention.
“I Am Very Upset And Hurt”: Zimbabwean Cricket Legend Heath Streak Breaks Silence On Death Rumours
However, he later clarified that the news was untrue and shared a chat screenshot with Streak to authenticate the correction. By that time, the false news had already spread widely.
Henry Olonga Apologizes Over False Reports On Heath Streak’s Death
In his apology, Olonga expressed profound remorse for disseminating misleading information and offered insights into his long-standing friendship with Streak, which dates back to 1984 when they were schoolmates.
Olonga revealed that he had been keeping track of Streak’s health status and explained that after receiving the initial news, he attempted to verify it by reaching out to Streak and his family.
However, due to the late hour and a lack of immediate responses, a misunderstanding of the situation arose.
Olonga extended his regrets to everyone for accepting the incident as factual, which led to unwarranted distress.
He also expressed his happiness over the outpouring of support and love that Streak received from fans worldwide during the entire ordeal.
Part of Olonga’s statement on Facebook read,
“Obviously, I am extremely sorry that I took it as gospel. I then placed my own tributes, which seemed to gather a lot of traction ( amongst many tributes out there) only to get a text from Heath a few hours later in which he asked me to reverse the decision. (He has always had a great sense of humour)….
“I of course profusely apologised to the Streaks after the clanger. They did not need this. In any case, I hope you understand the context now and again appreciate your forgiveness for my part in this unfortunate affair. I am very sad about it. It was extremely heartwarming to see how much love there is out there for our champion. Perhaps a silver lining.”
Source iHarare
