'Wonderful news' for Aussie cricket great Damien Martyn after leaving hospital following near-death scare

Australian cricket great Damien Martyn has been released from hospital as he recovers from what was life-threatening meningitis.

His close friend and former teammate Adam Gilchrist provided the update on Fox Sports on Thursday morning.

"Wonderful news for those listening around the world who have sent their best wishes and are wondering about his welfare," Gilchrist said.

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"He's still got a bit of a journey to go before he's fully recovered, but it's really wonderful to know that he's back home.

"His family express their gratitude and support to all the medical staff."

Martyn was rushed to a Gold Coast hospital on Boxing Day after falling ill.

He was placed into an induced coma for several days as doctors fought the disease.

Former Australian Test captain Ricky Ponting revealed "things were pretty scary" for his old teammate.

"Things were pretty scary there for a while, from Boxing Day onwards. But he's made some really good progress the last couple of days," Ponting said on Monday.

"It will be a reasonably slow recovery for him, but things are looking a whole lot better for him than they were a few days ago."

Tributes had flooded in from around the world when news of Martyn's plight broke.

Martyn is a beloved former player who produced some iconic innings in both the baggy green and in white-ball cricket for Australia.

He lifted the 1999 and 2003 one-day World Cups with the national team, and was the hero of the tournament final in 2003 with an 88 not out against India, while batting with a broken finger.

He shocked the sport when he suddenly retired midway through the 2006-07 Ashes series, and has kept a relatively low public profile since.

His slashing cut shot through point became one of the iconic shots of his era.

Martyn played 67 Test matches and 208 one-day internationals for Australia, as well as four T20 internationals.

He averaged an impressive 46.37 in Tests and 40.80 in ODIs and was known as one of the most entertaining batters of his era.