Sir Ian Botham almost passes away by Crocodile attack; Merv Hughes rescues the England legend

England's legendary allrounder Sir Ian Botham narrowly avoided a crocodile attack during a fishing trip with his friend and former Australian cricketer Merv Hughes. Botham fell into a river which was full of crocodiles during this trip.

However, the legendary England cricketer was lucky to have Merv Hughes to his rescue. The former Australian fast bowler saved him by pulling him out of the Moyle River in the Northern Territory of Australia.

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Merv Hughes saves Sir Ian Botham from a life-threatening crocodile attack

The pair of Sir Ian Botham and Merv Hughes was moving to their main expedition vessel during their fishing trip. During this period, Botham's flip-flop got stuck in a rope and he could not control his balance and fell into the river.

However, he was lucky to have Merv Hughes to his rescue. Hughes was quick to respond to this dangerous situation and pulled him out of the river. The river is believed to be full of crocodiles and bull sharks.

Despite being saved, Ian Botham faced bruises and injuries all over his body as he later revealed the story of his survival. The former allrounder claimed that a few crocodiles had an eye on him but he somehow survived the danger.

"At the end of the day, Crocodile Beefy survived. 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," Botham was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Ian Botham thanks rescue teams

Botham also thanked the rescue team for their brilliant effort and claimed that it was just a rare accident that happened to him. He further claimed to be fine and in good shape.

"The guys were brilliant. It was just one of those accidents. It was all very quick and I'm OK now," he added.

Ian Botham and Merv Hughes have always been passionate about fishing right from their playing days. Both have developed a strong bond of friendship over the years. Both were legendary cricketers during their playing time but have been following their passion for fishing since their retirement.

"More than shooting or golf, fishing is my biggest passion. I need solitude, and fly-fishing, which fascinates me, offers that," Botham was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"There is definitely something about rivers, the flow of water, watching on as the day goes by... I've never found a stretch of river that hasn't somehow interested me," he added.

International numbers of Ian Botham and Merv Hughes

Ian Botham played 102 Tests and 116 ODIs for England. The allrounder scored over 5000 runs in Tests and picked up 383 wickets with the ball. He also scored 2113 runs with the bat and picked up 145 wickets with the ball in ODIs.

On the other hand, Merv Hughes played 53 Tests and 33 ODIs for Australia. The right-arm fast bowler, who was known for his sheer pace, picked up 212 wickets in Tests at an average of 28.38 and 38 wickets in ODIs at an average of 29.34.