Ex-Australia cricketer Damien Martyn returns home after meningitis battle

Former Australian cricketer Damien Martyn has returned home after being placed in an induced coma following a severe meningitis infection that left him hospitalised for nearly three weeks.

The 54-year-old fell seriously ill on December 27, 2025, and was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit. Doctors placed him in a medically induced coma for eight days to help his body fight the life-threatening illness. Encouraging signs of recovery began to emerge in the first week of January.

Reflecting on his ordeal, Martyn shared an emotional message on X, describing the fight for his life during the critical period. "I was placed into a paralysed coma for eight days to help me fight this awful disease. And fight I did," he wrote.

The 2003 World Cup-winning team member also revealed that he had been given only a 50 per cent chance of survival, but went on to defy medical expectations. "After being given a 50/50 chance of surviving, I came out of the induced coma eight days later not able to walk or talk. And yet, four 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 said.

Posting a photograph of himself standing on a beach, Martyn said that the experience made him realise how 'fragile' life is and reminded the importance of time. 

"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," he added.

Martyn represented Australia in 67 Test matches between 1992 and 2006. He had scored 4,406 runs for the Aussies, averaging 46.37. He also represented Australia in 208 ODIs and made 5,346 runs. After being recalled to the national side in 2000 following a six-year absence, he became a key member of Steve Waugh's dominant Australian team.

He also took the opportunity to thank those who supported him through what he described as the toughest period of his life. "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.  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," Martyn said.