Australian cricket great Damien Martyn is awake and talking after coming out of an induced coma amid his battle with meningitis.
In a development labelled ‘a miracle’ by those close to him, Martyn is progressing well and hopeful of being moved out of intensive care soon.
‘He is now able to talk and respond to treatment,’ Adam Gilchrist, who has spoken with Martyn, told News Corp on Sunday.
‘He has responded extraordinarily well since coming out (of the coma) to the point where his family feels it’s like some sort of miracle,.
‘It has been so positive that they’re hopeful he will be able to move out of the ICU into another part of the hospital, which is representative of what a great recovery it’s been and how quickly it has flipped around.”
Martyn, a graceful right-handed batter who played 67 Tests, fell ill suddenly late last month and was rushed to a Gold Coast hospital, where he remains.
Australian cricket great Damien Martyn (right) is awake and talking after coming out of an induced coma amid his battle with meningitis
Martin (left, with Merv Hughes, right) was admitted to hospital in a serious condition on Boxing Day after contracting the illness
His partner Amanda Ward had confirmed on Saturday that the 54-year-old was responding well to treatment
His partner Amanda Ward had confirmed on Saturday that the 54-year-old was responding well to treatment.
‘We would like to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of support our family has received,’ she said.
‘We also want to express our deepest appreciation to the medical team at Gold Coast University Hospital who have been nothing short of amazing throughout this challenging time.
‘This has been a trying time and the family ask that you respect their privacy.”
As recently as Christmas Eve, Martyn had been posting on social media about the ongoing Ashes series before falling ill with meningitis – an infection and swelling of fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord.
Gilchrist, VVS Laxman and Michael Vaughan were among the cricket icons to send him their best wishes.
Born in Darwin, Martyn earned a Test debut at 21 replacing Dean Jones in the 1992/93 home series against West Indies and was Western Australia’s captain at 23.
He was player of the series the last time Australia won a series in India, topscoring in four of Australia’s eight innings at the crease in the 2004 battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Born in Darwin, Martyn earned a Test debut at 21 replacing Dean Jones in the 1992/93 home series against West Indies and was Western Australia’s captain at 23
His Test high score of 165 came against New Zealand in 2005, one of 13 centuries Martyn made in the baggy green. He averaged 46.37
His Test high score of 165 came against New Zealand in 2005, one of 13 centuries Martyn made in the baggy green. He averaged 46.37.
Martyn retired from Test cricket midway through the 2006/07 Ashes series, playing his final match at the Adelaide Oval that summer.
He also played 208 ODIs, averaging 40.8 and scoring an unbeaten 88 runs as Australia defeated India in the final of the 2003 World Cup.
Martyn dabbled in commentary during retirement but has mostly kept out of the limelight in recent years.
