A TALENTED cricketer who was badly beaten up outside a Bridgwater pub last weekend is out of a coma.

Mondli Khumalo, 20, a South African contracted to play cricket for North Petherton this summer, is showing signs of recovery after suffering a serious brain injury in the attack near the Green Dragon pub in Friarn Street during the early hours of Sunday (May 29).

His friend Lloyd Irish posted on Twitter: "Mondli is continuing to improve and is now breathing on his own, he’s now out of his coma and breathing tubes being removed as we speak.

"He’s showing great strength, arm wrestling his agent and pulling himself up the bed."

Mondli, who was rushed to Southmead Hospital, in Bristol, following the attack, has undergone three operations and had been in an induced coma.

Heinrich Strydom, chief executive of KZN Cricket Union in South Africa, told this website earlier in the week: "Everyone over here in South Africa has been a big help in getting this sorted as quickly as possible.

"As you can imagine, it has been an extremely difficult time for Mondli's mum and she is understandably very distressed, we all just want Mondli to recover.

"Hopefully next week they will get their visa and can then travel to the UK, we are hoping the visa will be fast tracked.

"Mondli's mother and his uncle will travel together, most likely they will fly out of Durban."

Supt Richard Turner from Avon and Somerset Police said: “We’re investigating a serious assault on 20-year-old Mondli Khumalo, who remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital after undergoing emergency treatment.

“A full investigation is under way 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."