Melbourne [Australia], January 4 : Doctors are optimistic that former Australian batter Damien Martyn could be moved out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) soon, after waking up from the induced coma he was placed in when he was diagnosed with a bout of meningitis on Boxing Day.
Martyn, a 54-year-old and two-time World Cup winner with Australia, is now able to talk as he woke up from the coma after being placed into it last week in the hospital at Gold Coast, as per ESPNCricinfo.
Martyn's long-time teammate and close friend, Adam Gilchrist, who has been actively giving health updates on the flashy stroke player, said that over the last 48 hours, it has been an "unbelievable turn of events" for Martyn's health.
"It has been an unbelievable turn of events in the last 48 hours. He is now able to talk and respond to treatment. He has responded extraordinarily well since coming out of the coma to the point where his family feels it is like some sort of miracle," said Gilchrist as quoted by ESPNCricinfo in a statement issued on behalf of the batter's family.
"It has been so positive that they are hopeful he will be able to move out of the ICU into another part of the hospital, which is representative of what a great recovery it has been and how quickly it has flipped around. He is in good spirits and overwhelmed by the support. There is still some treatment and monitoring to go but it is looking positive," added Gilchrist.
The legendary wicketkeeper-batter said that Martyn's wife Amanda feels that outpouring of love from everyone around him, "helped" Martyn.
"They just feel blessed so many people have wanted to support him in his time in need.
He will remain in the hospital and continue to receive treatment, but the turnaround has been miraculous," he concluded.
Renowned for his elegant stroke play, Martyn finished his Test career with 4,406 runs in 67 matches at an average of 46.37, including 13 centuries. In ODIs, he scored 5,346 runs in 208 games at an average of 40.80, registering five centuries and 37 half-centuries.
One of Martyn's most memorable achievements came during the 2004 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, where he was named Player of the Series. He finished as the top scorer in four of Australia's eight innings, helping Australia secure its first away series win in India in several years. In this iconic series, he scored a total of 444 runs.
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