Mumbai: Former Australia batter Damien Martyn has shown remarkable improvement after emerging from an induced coma while undergoing treatment for meningitis at a hospital on the Gold Coast.
Cricket Australia confirmed that the 54-year-old World Cup winner, who was admitted last week, is responding well to treatment and is likely to be shifted out of the intensive care unit in the coming days.
During Day 2 of the fifth Ashes Test on Monday (January 5, 2026), Australian broadcaster Fox Sports delivered the encouraging update that “Martyn is now out of a coma and he is speaking to his loved ones.”
Close friend and former teammate Adam Gilchrist also shared an update late on Sunday (January 4, 2026), describing the recovery as dramatic. “It’s been an unbelievable turn of events in the last 48 hours. He is now able to talk and respond to treatment,” Gilchrist said.
According to Gilchrist, Martyn is in positive spirits and deeply touched by the messages pouring in from around the cricketing world. He added that Martyn’s wife Amanda felt the collective support played a vital role in his recovery.
“His wife Amanda just really wants to say to everyone she is convinced that the love, goodwill and sense of care that they felt from everybody, via messages and via the coverage in the press really helped him,” Gilchrist said.
Martyn enjoyed a distinguished international career, representing Australia in 67 Test matches. A key figure in the country’s golden era, he finished with an impressive batting average of 46.37 and scored 13 Test centuries.
