South African cricketer Mondli Khumalo has been taken out of a medically induced coma and is making "great progress" after being assaulted outside a pub on May 29.
Khumalo represented South Africa at the Under-19 World Cup in 2020 and is contracted to Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland. The 20-year-old is in the midst of a stint as an overseas professional for North Petherton Cricket Club in Somerset and was out celebrating a win with the team when he was attacked in the early hours of the morning.
Khumalo suffered a fractured skull and has had three operations, with the latest removing a blood clot on his brain. And Khumalo's North Petherton teammate Lloyd Irish has offered a promising update on his condition.
"Mondli was doing great yesterday and they took him out of a coma," Irish told the Cricketer. "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! 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."
A 27-year-old man was arrested by Avon and Somerset police in connection with the incident on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm, and has been released under investigation. Superintendent Richard Turner said: "We're taking steps to ensure Mondli's family in South Africa are being kept fully updated on his condition, as well as how our investigation is progressing.
"A full investigation is underway and we've carried out house-to-house enquiries and are continuing to review CCTV footage from around the area to ensure we gather all available evidence.
"We know there were a large number of people in the area at the time and we'd appeal for any eyewitnesses to come forward, especially if anyone has mobile phone footage showing any part of this incident."
North Petherton have raised over £20,000 for Khumalo on Crowdfunder, with the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Jos Buttler and Dale Steyn all sharing their support for the youngster on social media.
