England cricket legend Sir Ian Botham was rescued by a former Australian rival after he fell off a ship into water “infested” with sharks and crocodiles.
The retired all-rounder was on a fishing journey with former Australian fast-bowler Merv Hughes when he obtained his flip-flops caught in some roping and plunged head-first into the Moyle River close to Darwin, northern Australia.
Sir Ian, nicknamed Beefy, suffered extreme bruising to his torso after hitting the boat on his manner down – however escaped a worse destiny when Hughes and fellow fishermen shortly pulled him out.
Picture:
Merv Hughes was an on-pitch rival of Sir Ian throughout their cricket careers. Pic: Reuters
The 68-year-old wrote on Instagram on Friday: “My catch of the day was the barra [fish] while I was nearly catch of the day for all the crocs and bull sharks…
“Thanks boys for getting me out.”
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The river is thought for being infested with crocodiles, in accordance with native media, whereas a household of bull sharks was additionally seen lurking beneath the boat as Sir Ian fell in.
“I was out of the water quicker than I went in it. Quite a few sets of eyes were having a peep at me. Luckily I had no time to think about what was in the water.”
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The river that Sir Ian fell into is thought for being infested with crocodiles. File pic: iStock
The cricket commentator added: “The guys were brilliant, it was just one of those accidents. It was all very quick and I’m okay now.”
Sir Ian, who was awarded a knighthood in 2020, was an on-pitch rival of Hughes throughout clashes between England and Australia within the Eighties, however the pair have turn into good pals of their retirement from the game.
The duo have been reportedly on a four-day boat journey to catch barramundi fish when the incident occurred final week.
Sir Ian is claimed to have gotten caught within the roping whereas he and his companions have been crossing from a small boat into one other vessel.
He’s reported to be in Australia to commentate alongside Hughes on a collection of upcoming matches, together with the primary Check between Australia and India.
He’s thought-about considered one of England’s best cricketers, having notched up 5,200 take a look at runs and 383 wickets throughout his profession.
