The 54-year-old right-hand batter had recently fallen ill, with Nine Newspapers stating that he is currently in an induced coma battling meningitis.
“Sending lots of love and prayers to (at) damienmartyn. Stay strong and keep fighting, legend. Sending love to the family,” former test teammate Darren Lehmann shared on social media.
In a conversation with News Corp., close friend and former Australian test wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist commented: “He is receiving the best treatment, and (Martyn’s partner) Amanda and his family are aware of the many people sending their prayers and well-wishes.” Cricket Australia’s CEO Todd Greenberg expressed his hopes for Martyn’s swift recovery.
“I am deeply saddened to hear about Damien’s condition. The warm wishes from everyone at CA and the broader cricket community are with him during this difficult time,” Greenberg stated.
Martyn’s seemingly effortless ability to stroke the ball was notable, boasting a batting average of 46.37 in test matches.
Born in Darwin, he made his test debut at the age of 21, stepping in for Dean Jones during the 1992-93 home series against the West Indies, and took on the role of Western Australia’s captain at just 23.
His highest score of 165 was achieved against New Zealand in 2005, marking one of his 13 test centuries.
Martyn played his last test at the Adelaide Oval during the 2006-07 Ashes series before transitioning into commentary.
Having played 208 one-day internationals with an average of 40.8, he was part of Australia’s winning squads in the 1999 and 2003 World Cups, notably scoring an unbeaten 88 in the 2003 final against India while battling a broken finger, and was also part of the victorious 2006 Champions Trophy team.
