Former Australian cricketer Damien Martyn is in serious condition in a Gold Coast hospital
Brisbane (AP): Former cricketer Damien Martyn, who played 67 test matches for Australia, is in a serious condition in a Gold Coast hospital south of Brisbane, Australian media reported Wednesday.
The 54-year-old former right-hand batter had fallen ill in recent days, with Nine Newspapers reporting he is in an induced coma and fighting a bout of meningitis.
“Lots of love and prayers sending (at) damienmartyn way. Keep strong and fighting legend. Love to the family,” former test teammate Darren Lehmann wrote on social media.
A spokesperson for Gold Coast Health said that Martyn “remains in a serious condition at the Gold Coast University Hospital.”
Speaking to News Corp., close friend and former Australian test wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist said: “He is getting the best of treatment and (Martyn's partner) Amanda and his family know that a lot of people are sending their prayers and best wishes.”
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg wished Martyn a quick recovery.
“I'm saddened to hear of Damien's illness. The best wishes of everyone at CA and in the wider cricket community are with him at this time,” said Greenberg.
Martyn's seemingly effortless stroke play was his strength, averaging 46.37 with the bat in test matches.
Born in Darwin, Martyn earned a test debut at 21 replacing Dean Jones in the 1992-93 home series against West Indies and was Western Australia's captain at 23.
His high score of 165 came against New Zealand in 2005, one of his 13 test centuries.
Martyn played his final test at Adelaide Oval in the 2006-07 Ashes series before moving into commentary work.
Martyn played 208 one-day internationals, averaging 40.8. He was part of Australia's squad that won the 1999 and 2003 World Cups, scoring an unbeaten 88 in the final against India in 2003 while batting with a broken finger, and was also a member of the winning 2006 Champions Trophy squad.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms lash parts of Uttarakhand; all districts put on high alert
Dehradun (PTI): Heavy rain and hailstorms accompanied by strong winds lashed several districts of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning, prompting the state administration to put all district authorities on high alert.
The sudden change in weather caused uprooted trees to block roads and disrupted power supply at various locations.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman chaired a review meeting with district officials to assess the situation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain and thunderstorms at most places across all districts for Monday and Tuesday. Snowfall is expected in regions situated at altitudes of 4,000 metres and above.
An 'orange alert' remains in place for Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar. These districts are likely to witness isolated heavy rain, hailstorms, and intense to very intense spells of rain accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph, the IMD said.
The weather office predicted that maximum temperatures across the state are likely to fall by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the next three to four days. During the past 24 hours, maximum temperatures remained "markedly below normal" in the plains and ranged from "markedly" to "appreciably" below normal in the hilly regions.
Dehradun experienced dark, overcast skies early Sunday, creating night-like conditions during morning hours. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 34.7 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average.
For the state capital, the forecast predicts a partly to generally cloudy sky with a high of 31 degrees Celsius and a low of 19 degrees Celsius.
Significant rainfall was recorded across the state after 8.30 am on Sunday, with Jollygrant receiving 21.6 mm and Mohakampur recording 19.8 mm. Other areas, including Mukteshwar (15.0 mm), Mussoorie (13.4 mm), and Pithoragarh (8.5 mm), also saw measurable precipitation.
Secretary Suman directed officials to clear blocked roads on priority to ensure public convenience. Specific instructions were issued regarding the Char Dham Yatra, ordering that helicopter services must operate strictly according to weather conditions to ensure pilgrims' safety.
Isolated places in the remaining hilly districts are also expected to experience thunderstorms with lightning and intense rain spells.
