Australian cricket great Damien Martyn says he’s ‘on the mend’ after coma scare

Australian cricket great Damien Martyn says he’s “on the mend” a month after fighting for his life in a Gold Coast hospital bed.

Martyn, who played 67 Tests for Australia, scoring 4406 runs at 46.37, was taken to hospital on Boxing Day after falling ill and spent eight days in a coma battling a severe case of meningitis, which can prove fatal.

The 54-year-old came through the ordeal, and despite being unable to walk or talk after coming out of the coma in the intensive care unit, he was speaking and moving just four days later.

A month on, Martyn took to X to reveal his progress, posting a picture of himself at the beach in a black tank top.

“I can’t believe it’s been a month from yesterday that I was rushed to hospital,” he wrote.

“It’s certainly been an eventful January, but the love and support still pouring in has been overwhelming. To the people that have shared their stories of having this disease and how they coped during and after has helped me immensely so I thank you.

“I’m on the mend and looking forward to getting back to my normal self. To be honest, it makes you appreciate so many things. I’m so happy to just get back on the beach have a walk and swim.”

Martyn’s plight produced an outpouring of support from the cricket and sporting communities.

In a previous social media post, the former cricketer revealed how close he came to losing his life to the disease.

“My life was taken out of my hands…when meningitis took over my brain, and unbeknownst to me I was placed into a paralysed coma for eight days to help me fight this awful disease,” he said.

“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.

“This experience has reminded me of how fragile life is, how quickly everything can change & and how precious time is!

“Bring on 2026 …I’m back!”

Darwin-born 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 high score in Tests of 165 came against New Zealand in 2005, one of 13 centuries Martyn made in the baggy green. He averaged 46.37.

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.