{"id":390824,"date":"2026-01-04T10:01:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/390824\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T10:01:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:01:11","slug":"aussie-cricket-great-damien-martyn-miraculously-wakes-from-life-threatening-coma-amid-meningitis-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/390824\/","title":{"rendered":"Aussie cricket great Damien Martyn \u2018miraculously\u2019 wakes from life-threatening coma amid meningitis battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australian cricket<\/a> great Damien Martyn is out of an induced coma and appears on track for a miraculous recovery from meningitis.<\/p>\n

The 54-year-old right-hand batter, who played 67 Tests for Australia, fell ill suddenly late last month<\/a> and was rushed to a Gold Coast hospital, where he remains.<\/p>\n

He was placed in an induced coma as fears grew about his immediate future.<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

But close friend and longtime teammate Adam Gilchrist has revealed Martyn has made incredible progress to treatment and could be moved out of ICU soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is now able to talk and respond to treatment,\u2019\u2019 Gilchrist told News Corp<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has responded extraordinarily well since coming out (of the coma) to the point where his family feels it\u2019s like some sort of miracle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been so positive that they\u2019re 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\u2019s been and how quickly it has flipped around.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\"AdamAdam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn celebrate a win over India in 2004. Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Gilchrist spoke to Martyn via FaceTime and added that he has been overwhelmed by the support.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very groggy and far from 100 per cent. But he is certainly communicating and slowly getting an understanding of the enormity of the situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he is a little overwhelmed that people would respond to him in such a positive way which is a beautiful statement, not just from the cricket community but from the wider community as well.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Martyn\u2019s family issued a statement on Saturday night saying he was progressing well, but this new development will come as a massive relief.<\/p>\n

As recently as Christmas Eve, Martyn had been posting on social media about the ongoing Ashes series before falling ill with meningitis \u2014 an infection and swelling of fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord.<\/p>\n

Darren Lehmann, VVS Laxman and Michael Vaughan were among the cricket icons to send their best wishes to Martyn.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s captain at 23.<\/p>\n

He was player of the series the last time Australia won an away series in India, topscoring in four of Australia\u2019s eight innings at the crease in the 2004 battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.<\/p>\n

His Test high score of 165 came against New Zealand in 2005, one of 13 Test centuries Martyn made in the baggy green.<\/p>\n

Martyn retired from Test cricket midway through the 2006\/07 Ashes series, playing his final match at the Adelaide Oval that summer.<\/p>\n

Martyn 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.<\/p>\n

He dabbled in commentary during retirement but has mostly kept out of the limelight in recent years.<\/p>\n

– With AAP<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cricket world says same thing after first day of fifth Test<\/p>\n

2 min read<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Family issues health update on hospitalised cricket great<\/p>\n

1 min read<\/p>\n

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