England cricket legend Sir Ian Botham rescued after fall in crocodile-infested waters

England cricket fable Sir Ian Botham was rescued by his erstwhile rival aft a autumn into a crocodile-infested stream successful Australia.

The 68-year-old was connected a four-day sportfishing travel with his erstwhile Ashes rival Merv Hughes Moyle River successful Australia’s Northern Territory.

However, ‘Beefy’ Botham was progressive successful a scary incidental erstwhile his flip-flops got tangled connected a enactment arsenic helium attempted to committee a boat, which sent him tumbling into the river.

Hughes, 62, acted rapidly to assistance propulsion Botham retired of the water, and the erstwhile England planetary escaped with dense bruising to the broadside of his torso.

‘I was retired of the h2o quicker than I went successful it. Quite a fewer sets of eyes were having a peep astatine me,’ Botham said.

‘Luckily I had nary clip to deliberation astir what was successful the water.’

It was besides claimed that bull sharks were swimming adjacent the vessel Botham and Hughes was on.

‘The guys were brilliant, it was conscionable 1 of those accidents,’ Botham said.

‘It was each precise speedy and I’m OK now.’

Botham and Hughes shared a rivalry during England’s clashes with Australia successful the 1980s.

During the 1986 Ashes, Botham scored 22 runs disconnected a azygous Hughes over, a grounds successful the tournament’s past astatine the time.

Hughes besides revealed the brutal excavation helium received from Botham during the 1986 Ashes successful the publication book The Ashes Match of My Life.

‘It got disfigured erstwhile Botham made 22 runs from a azygous over, scoring 2, 2, 4, 6, 4 and 4 disconnected me. I americium embarrassed to accidental it was a grounds for the astir runs disconnected an implicit successful an Ashes Test. I would cheque the grounds books, desperately hoping immoderate mediocre psyche had been worse, and portion I recovered determination was erstwhile 24 scored disconnected an over, it was from an eight-ball over,’ Hughes wrote.

‘At beverage connected the 2nd day, aft Botham was yet retired for 138, I was sitting extracurricular our changing country watching the rainfall travel down and trying to recognize what had conscionable happened erstwhile Botham came retired of England’s room. ‘You astir apt don’t retrieve me,’ I said to him. ‘But I was astatine a coaching session you did astatine Benalla erstwhile you played people cricket present successful the 1970s.’

‘‘Did I springiness you immoderate bully advice?’ helium asked. ‘I told you I wanted to beryllium a accelerated bowler, but you said I should instrumentality up tennis oregon play due to the fact that they were much enjoyable and amended paid.’ He got up to leave, turned to maine and said, ‘You should person listened to me.’

‘I would deliberation astir those words during the adjacent six years arsenic I established myself arsenic a Test player. I took 8-87 against the West Indies astatine Perth a twelvemonth aft being humbled successful Brisbane, and past regained the Ashes successful 1989 against an England broadside containing Botham. I had proved I was bully capable to play for Australia.’

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