He was followed by another former teammate, Henry Olonga, who expressed his condolences.

However, an hour later, Olonga confirmed that the 49-year-old athlete was alive. After reporting that the two had spoken, Olonga wrote on Page X: I can confirm that rumors of Heath Streak’s death have been greatly exaggerated. I have just heard from him. A third referee called him back. He’s very much alive, folks.

According to information received by his family in May, Streak is being treated by one of the most respected oncologists in South Africa. Streak retired from professional cricket in 2005 after scoring 1990 runs at an average of 22.35, and scoring 216 runs at an average of 28.14 in Test cricket. In white-ball cricket, Heath has scored 2943 runs and recorded 239 wickets.