Jesse Ryder is awake and speaking to his family after being brought out of an induced coma just after 10am.
Ryder has also been taken off a ventilator that has been helping him breathe after he sustained serious injuries to his lungs in an assault outside a Christchurch bar, Aikmans, on Thursday morning.
His manager Aaron Klee has just held a press conference that Ryder remembers nothing of the attack that almost killed him.
But he understood what had happened to him and why he was in hospital.
"I'm smiling today,'' Mr Klee said.
"We're working through the immediate effects of him being in a coma and the drugs but
we are absolutely thrilled with his progress.''
Mr Klee said Ryder woke up quickly as doctors reversed the drugs that were keeping
him in a coma.
It was not 'like in the movies' when a patient woke up and embraced their loved ones though, he said.
Ryder was 'pretty uncomfortable' after having tubes in his throats for days and was
still very drousy.
He had a long journey ahead of him until he recovered fully.
Mr Klee hoped Ryder would play cricket again.
The 28-year-old will stay in the intensive care unit for at least one more day then decisions would start to be made about his recovery including whether he stayed in
Christchurch or was transferred closer to his Wellington home.
Mr Klee said Ryder was aware of all the support offered since the attack but probably could not comprehend yet just how many people were behind him.
It's understood a NZDF aircraft and multiple helicopters are involved.