Ian Botham, the ex-England cricketer, narrowly escaped a perilous encounter with crocodiles during a fishing expedition in Australia’s Northern Territory. Botham, 68, was saved by his close friend and Ashes adversary, Merv Hughes, after a mishap involving his flip-flops and a rope led to his fall into the Moyle River. The incident occurred during their four-day fishing trip.
Botham’s flip-flops became entangled in a rope as he attempted to board a boat, causing him to tumble into the river. Hughes, 62, swiftly pulled Botham out of the water, a testament to their enduring friendship that dates back to their competitive days in the 1980s. Botham sustained significant bruising on his torso but otherwise emerged unscathed from the ordeal, which took place in a river also inhabited by bull sharks that prey on the remains left by crocodiles.
Botham humorously compared himself to Crocodile Dundee, quipping, “At the end of the day, Crocodile Beefy survived.” He added, “I was out of the water quicker than I went in it. Quite a few sets of eyes were having a peek at me. Luckily, I had no time to think about what was in the water.” Botham and Hughes were in the process of crossing a stretch of water to join other members of the fishing expedition when Botham fell in. “The guys were brilliant,” Botham remarked. “It was just one of those accidents. It was all very quick, and I’m OK now.”
Botham, who was appointed a life peer and the UK’s trade envoy to Australia in 2020, was in the country for a series of business and charity events. He had recently joined Hughes at a chamber of commerce speaking engagement.
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