Mondli Khumalo making "great progress" after being taken out of medically induced coma

The former South Africa Under-19 bowler, who currently represents North Petherton CC, was assaulted in Bridgwater last weekend

Mondli Khumalo has been taken out of his medically induced coma and is communicating with those around him.

The former South African Under-19 bowler, who is in the UK as an overseas player for North Petherton Cricket Club, was assaulted near the Green Dragon pub, Bridgwater in the early hours of Sunday morning.

He suffered a fractured skull on impact with the ground having been struck and has since undergone three operations to remove pressure on the brain.  

The third of those took place on Tuesday afternoon, with teammate Lloyd Irish and agent Rob Humphries asked to "have a moment" with Khumalo several times before he was rushed into surgery. 

The pair have been at Khumalo’s side Bristol’s Southmead Hospital since the incident. 

Irish told The Cricketer: "Mondli was doing great yesterday and they took him out of a coma. He has shown great strength. He is asking for his Mum, watching some of the England v New Zealand Test and even wants to know when his next game is!

^{Trade Nation will donate £50 for every six and £150 for every ball struck out of the ground during Somerset's clash with Glamorgan to support the South African's recovery [Harry Trump/Getty Images]}

"We’ve seen great progress in the past 24 hours. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions; however we seem to be heading in the right direction now."

​Meanwhile, passports for members of Khumalo's family have now been issued, thanks to the efforts of Humphries, Cricket South Africa and the KZNCU. The fast-track applications were approved on Wednesday and travel visas were anticipated yesterday.

In a statement, Pholetsi Moseki, CSA Chief Executive said: "CSA is deeply saddened by the unfortunate assault inflicted on Mondli, who has been a shining star in the CSA U19 set-up. We share in the Khumalo family’s pain and anguish and have consequently dedicated senior officials to offer whatever support that might be required by the Khumalo family.

"So far collaboration with KZN Cricket Inland and various stakeholders has yielded positive results, which will hopefully lighten the Khumalo family’s challenges at this difficult time."

Khumalo featured for his country at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup and holds a high-performance contract with KwaZulu-Natal Inland for the 2022/23 season. North Petherton Cricket Club’s online fundraising page has raised over £20,000 since it was established on Sunday. All monies raised will go towards supporting Khumalo in his recovery. 

And the kitty will be boosted following Somerset’s match against Glamorgan tonight. Khumalo’s North Petherton teammates are attending the fixture and Somerset’s T20 Blast live-stream partner, Trade Nation, will donate £50 for every six, and £150 for every ball struck out of the ground. 

Related Topics

• South African bowler Mondli Khumalo in hospital after assault