'Crocodile beefy survived': Ian Botham jokes on his life-threatening fall

New Delhi, Nov 9 Former England allrounder Ian Botham jokingly said 'crocodile beefy survived' after he was rescued by his former Ashes rival Merv Hughes and others following his fall to crocodile-infested waters while on a fishing trip in Australia.

Botham and Hughes were together in a boat with a group in the Moyle River in northern Australia when the accident occurred. While switching boats, the England great accidentally fell into the river which had crocodiles and bull sharks but the cricketer was rescued quickly by people around him including Hughes and escaped with heavy bruising.

In an Instagram post, Botham shared pictures of him holding a Barramundi fish and said he was the catch of all the crocodiles and bull sharks.

“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," his posts read.

England's Ian Botham and Australian fast bowler Merv Hughes clashed on the cricket field in the late 1980s but have stayed friends ever since. Botham, drawing a lighthearted comparison to the iconic Australian film character Crocodile Dundee, joked while talking to the Herald Sun and said, “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. The guys were brilliant, it was just one of those accidents. It was all very quick and I´m OK now," he added.

Botham, known for his fearless style, is celebrated as one of England’s greatest cricketers, having amassed 5,200 Test runs and scalped 383 wickets over his career, which concluded with his final Test appearance in 1992.