Sydney [Australia], January 17 (ANI): Former Australia cricketer Damien Martyn pens down an emotional message as he recovers from meningitis and provides his health update. Martyn also expressed gratitude to his family and friends for their support.

The 54-year-old Martyn was admitted to Gold Coast University Hospital on December 27 after falling seriously ill and was placed in an induced coma. Last week, former Australian cricketer Adam Gilchrist revealed that Martyn has been discharged from the hospital.

In an X post, Martyn wrote, 'This post is A BIG thank you to ALL my family, friends, and so many other people who have reached out to me! On the 27th of December 202,5 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. 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 said.

'This experience has reminded me of how fragile life is, how quickly everything can change & how precious time is! 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. I am so grateful to you all. Thank you! Bring on 2026 ...I'm back!' Martyn concluded.

Martyn represented Australia in 67 Tests, 208 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and four Twenty20 Internationals between 1992 and 2006. He remains widely regarded as one of the greatest ODI finishers in cricket history.

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. (ANI)