New Zealand cricket great Chris Cairns is off life support and is recovering in a Sydney hospital after undergoing emergency heart surgery.
Cairns reportedly suffered an aortic dissection – a tear in the body’s main artery – and required a pair of operations.
After initially having surgery in Canberra, where he resides with his family, Cairns was then transferred to St Vincent’s hospital in Sydney for another procedure.
The 51-year-old will remain in hospital as he recovers, but has been able to communicate with his loved ones, according to his lawyer, Aaron Lloyd.
“I’m pleased to advise that Chris is off life support and has been able to communicate with his family from hospital in Sydney,” Lloyd said in a statement on Friday.
“He and his family are thankful for all of the support and well wishes from everyone, and for the privacy they have been afforded. They request that this continues as they focus on his recovery moving forward.”
News of Cairns’ recovery will be well received by the cricket world, who were sent into shock when news initially broke of his life-threatening condition. His former teammate Chris Harris described the situation as “absolutely devastating”.
Cairns, the son of Black Caps legend Lance, played 62 Test matches, 215 ODIs and two T20s for New Zealand between 1989 and 2006.