Former Australia batter Damien Martyn said he was grateful for the help from his medical team and support from well-wishers as he revealed he is back home and recovering from an induced coma due to meningitis.
The 54-year-old retired right-hand batter, who played 67 Tests between 1992 and 2006 and 208 ODIs, was admitted to a Gold Coast hospital after Boxing Day.
He was said to be in a serious condition and placed in an induced coma.
On Saturday, Martyn took to social media to thank his supporters and said he is on the path to recovery.
“This post is a big thank you to all my family, friends and so many other people who have reached out to me,” Martyn posted on social media.
“On the 27th of December 2025 my life was taken out of my hands when meningitis took over my brain and unbeknown to me I was placed into a paralysed coma for 8 days to help me fight this awful disease. And that I did! Fight that is!….
“After being given a 50/50 chance of surviving, I came out of the induced coma 8 days later … not able to walk or talk. And yet 4 days after that, with the doctors in disbelief, I walked, I talked and proved to them all why I should be released from hospital to start my recovery.
“So happy to be home, to be able to put my feet in the sand on the beach and to start thanking all those people that reached out to me and my family in their unwavering support. This experience has reminded me of how fragile life is, how quickly everything can change and how precious time is!”
The former middle order batter also thanked the medical staff for taking care of him.
“There are so many wonderful people in this world … from paramedics (at Mermaid Waters Ambulance), doctors and nurses (at Gold Coast University Hospital) … to family, friends and people I didn’t even know. I feel like I met all these fantastic people in the past 3 weeks, or they reached out to me through messages of love and support.
“I am so grateful to you all. Thank you. Bring on 2026. I’m back!”
Martyn was mainly known for his exploits in white-ball cricket. He was part of Australia’s squad that won the 1999 and 2003 World Cups, scoring an unbeaten 88 in the final against India in 2003 while batting with a broken finger. He was also a member of the victorious 2006 Champions Trophy squad.
