[12] Olonga announced his retirement from international cricket after Zimbabwe's final game in the 2003 World Cup at the age of 26 when he was in the prime years of his career.
Olonga, in his autobiography, reveled how his parents had to be separated temporarily when he was just four years old when his mother learned that her husband had hidden his first marriage from her.
After returning to Kenya, the family then moved to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe as his father intended to provide and ensure access to higher quality education for his children.
Olonga made his debut in first-class cricket in March 1994, aged 17, playing for Matabeleland against Mashonaland in the Logan Cup at Harare Sports Club.
He was not an obvious or automatic choice when he was selected to make his international debut for Zimbabwe in the Test against Pakistan in Harare in January 1995[24] (although Olonga could have been selected to play for Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka earlier in 1995, when David Brain and Eddo Brandes were absent due to injury, but he was found to be ineligible as he still held Kenyan nationality).
It was revealed that his father was against Olonga's decision to pursue his career in cricket and wanted him to compete at the Olympics representing Kenya.
Having given up his Kenyan citizenship, Olonga became the youngest player to represent Zimbabwe in international cricket, aged 18 years and 212 days.
Thereafter, he began training harder with fellow seamer Heath Streak and got into the national team after remodelling his bowling action.
[30] Olonga joined the Zimbabwe team at the 1996 Cricket World Cup in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Olonga and his teammate Andy Flower achieved international recognition by wearing a black armband in the match against Namibia at Harare Sports Club, to "mourn the death of democracy" in Zimbabwe under the government led by Robert Mugabe.
[32][33][34][35] Olonga and Flower released a statement on 10 February 2003, the second day of the tournament, stating in part:[36] In all the circumstances, we have decided that we will each wear a black armband for the duration of the World Cup.
[38] The minister of information Jonathan Moyo labelled Olonga an "Uncle Tom" with "a black skin and a white mask".
[39][40] Despite the protest, Flower continued to play for Zimbabwe in the tournament, but Olonga was omitted from the team for six matches, ostensibly on grounds of his poor form (including a walkover against England who refused to travel to Harare).
Olonga was selected to play in one more World Cup match, against Kenya in Bloemfontein in the Super Sixes stage of the tournament on 12 March.
Death threats made him go temporarily into hiding and then into exile in England after Zimbabwe's last match of the tournament, against Sri Lanka in East London.
[43][44] A knee injury forced his retirement from first-class cricket later in 2003, but he has played occasional matches since 2005 for the Lashings World XI.
[45] Olonga met physical education teacher Tara Read while both were attending the Australian Institute of Sport's cricket program in Adelaide.
[57] After composing music, he made his singing debut in 2016 in a charity event performing Nessun dorma at the Sydney Cricket Ground.