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Cricket legend Ian Botham recently had a close call with crocodiles while on a fishing trip in Australia’s Northern Territory with his former Ashes rival, Merv Hughes.
Botham, known as “Beefy”, accidentally fell into the crocodile-infested waters reportedly after his flip-flops got tangled on a rope as he boarded the boat.
Hughes, 62, helped pull Botham from the water, saving him from potential danger. However, the former England international legend suffered heavy bruising along his torso.
“I was out of the water quicker than I went in it. Quite a few sets of eyes were having a peep at me,” Botham said.
“Luckily I had no time to think about what was in the water.”
There were also reports of bull sharks swimming close to the boat Botham and Hughes were on.
“The guys were brilliant, it was just one of those accidents,” Botham said.
“It was all very quick and I’m OK now.”
Botham and Hughes were known for their fierce on-field battles during the Ashes in the 1980s, with Botham famously hitting Hughes for 22 runs in a single over – a record for the most runs scored in one over in an Ashes Test at the time.
Hughes, who took 212 wickets over his 53-Test career, later recounted his embarrassment over the record in The Match of My Life: The Ashes.
Despite their rivalry, Botham and Hughes have remained friends since retiring from cricket.
They are set to reunite as commentators for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy, which begins with the first Test between Australia and India in Perth on 22 November.