The attack on the former all-rounder was confirmed by his wife Hannah Stooks Whittal in a Facebook post, stating that he had been stabilised by staff at Hippo Clinic.

She added that Whittall had then been airlifted from Buffalo Range by Ace Ambulance to Harare and shifted to Milton Park Hospital for treatment.

It is to be noted here that the former cricketer, who runs a safari business with his family in Humani, south-eastern region of Zimbabwe, was chasing a leopard for prey when it attacked and injured him.

Whittall once narrowly escaped an attack from a crocodile that was hiding under his bed.

As an international cricketer, Whittall played 46 Tests and 147 ODIs for Zimbabwe between 1993 and 2003.