'I'm back!' Australian cricket great Damien Martyn shares heartfelt update on remarkable recovery

Australian cricket great Damien Martyn has shared a positive update on his recovery from meningitis, an infection that causes swelling around the brain and spinal cord, while also revealing he was given a "50:50" chance of surviving.

Martyn was rushed to a Queensland hospital in late December, where he fought for his life after being placed in an induced coma.

The news sent shock waves across the cricketing world, with messages of support flowing in from the likes of former teammates Adam Gilchrist and Justin Langer.

And news of the 57-year-old's remarkable recovery was met with an equally intense outpouring of relief.

Martyn woke up from the coma just eight days later and returned home four days after that.

On Saturday, Martyn took to social media to express gratitude for the support he had received as well as open up about the seriousness of his situation.

"This post is A BIG thank you to ALL my family, friends and so many other people who have reached out to me!" Martyn wrote on X.

"On the 27th of December 2025 my life was taken out of my hands…when meningitis took over my brain, & unbeknownst 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."

Martyn, who scored 4406 runs across 67 Test matches in the 90s and early 2000s, went on to explain how the experience reminded him how "precious time is".

"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 unwaivering support," Martyn wrote.

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

He continued the post with a heartfelt thanks to the medical professionals that made his recovery possible.

"There are so many wonderful people in this world … from paramedics (at Mermaid Waters Ambulance), doctors & nurses (at Gold Coast University Hospital) … to family, friends and people I didn’t even know," Martyn wrote.

"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."

Martyn, who made his international debuts as a precociously talented 21-year-old and went on to become known as one of the most attractive, elegant stroke-makers in Australian cricket, concluded the post with two simple words:

"I’m back!"

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