Zimbabwe speedster who gave Sachin Tendulkar sleepless nights is now a struggling singer

Most of the fans know about the famous rivalry between former legendry batter Sachin Tendulkar and Zimbabwe pace sensation Henry Olonga. The Master Blaster was once so upset about the famous dismissal by the speedster that he couldn’t sleep for the next couple of days.

The aggressive pacer had once battered the star batting trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. However, Sachin avenged himself later. But the stunning rivalry between Sachin and Olonga became stuff of legends.

Unfortunately, Olonga’s career came to an unexpected end as he took on the political powers of his country with an unprecedented stand. He played in international cricket for eight years during which he picked up 126 wickets. 

After his stance against the ruler of Zimbabwe, Olonga got death threats and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The former pacer went into exile and moved to England after his career was cut short to just 50 ODIs and 30 Tests. He announced his retirement from cricket in 2003. After some years, he decided to take up singing as his profession.

The former cricketer along with his wife then moved to Adelaide in Australia. Olonga became a stay-at-home dad and a self-employed singer. His wife held a regular job as a teacher to take care of finances. Olonga gained some prominence when he earned a surprise invite to feature in the TV show ‘The Voice’ in 2019. However, the event did not lead to his stardom.

During Covid-19, Olonga and his family had to go through lots of hardships. The former cricketer found himself out of work. His family could only sustain from a government relief scheme. 2021 was the toughest year for him. Olonga lives a quiet life now in his second innings. He is trying to build his music career with a YouTube channel.