Ex-Australia batter Martyn had ’50/50′ chance of survival

Former Australia batter Damien Martyn says he was given a 50/50 chance of surviving the meningitis that led to him being put in an induced coma last month.

The 54-year-old, who played 67 Test matches between 1992 and 2006, fell ill in late December and spent eight days in an induced coma.

Martyn, who woke from the coma last week, has left hospital and posted a statement on Saturday thanking those who treated him and offered support.

“On the 27th of December 2025 my life was taken out of my hands when meningitis took over my brain,” said Martyn.

“Unbeknownst to me, I was placed into a paralysed coma to help me fight this awful disease. And that I did! Fight that is!

Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. It can come on suddenly and kill within hours if not treated quickly.

“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,” Martyn added, posting a photo of himself on the beach alongside his statement.

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

“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 three 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, who made his Test debut at the age of 21, played in four Ashes series and scored 4,406 Test runs, including 13 centuries, at an average of 46.37 before retiring in 2006.

He also won two one-day World Cups and during the 2003 World Cup final, Martyn – batting with a broken finger – scored an unbeaten 88 as Australia defeated India.

Overall in ODIs he scored 5,346 runs at an average of 40, with five hundreds.