Australian cricket legend Merv Hughes has opened up on how Sir Ian Botham was saved after falling into crocodile-infested waters during a fishing trip to the Northern Territory.
Back in 2024, Botham took to Instagram to reveal how he had nearly become the catch of the day for a few of the reptiles.
The 69-year-old had been on a four-day trip with his former Ashes rival, Hughes, when disaster struck, with the England all-rounder taking a tumble off the side of the boat.
‘Quite a few sets of [crocodile] eyes were having a peep at me. Luckily, I had no time to think about what was in the water,’ Botham explained.
The group were fishing for barramundi on the Moyle River, which is situated around 200km south of Darwin.
The waterbody is known to be the home of a population of saltwater crocodiles.
Merv Hughes has opened up on how Sir Ian Botham (pictured) was saved after he fell into croc-infested waters during a fishing trip in the Northern Territory
Hughes (pictured) revealed that he was actually having a sleep in his cabin when the incident was unfolding
Botham revealed that he was doing OK after the shocking incident, with the rest of the boat’s crew quickly jumping to help pull the cricket great out of the water. He suffered a few bruises, but thankfully, that was the worst of his injuries.
While he and Hughes squared off in some huge battles in the 80s, they are great friends and share a love of fishing.
Recounting the fishing trip, Hughes joked during an interview with The Telegraph that he couldn’t ‘believe King Charles didn’t give him a call’ to offer him a knighthood, for his part in saving Beefy from the snarling crocs.
But in a twist to the tale, Hughes revealed that he actually didn’t know that Botham had fallen into the water.
He told The Telegraph that he was, in fact, asleep in his cabin while the incident unfolded.
‘We did go fishing, and Ian Botham did fall in the water,’ Hughes said. ‘But did I have anything to do with dragging him out? Not quite. I was asleep in my cabin. I found out about two hours later.’
Hughes, who hailed Beefy as a great mate and competitor, had travelled to the Northern Territory for a charity lunch in Darwin with Botham.
The pair decided to go on a fishing trip.
‘Beefy’ was pulled out of the water while ‘quite a few’ of the deadly reptiles looked on – and he was left with severe bruising afterwards (pictured)
Hughes revealed that members of the fishing crew had dragged Botham (third from left) out of the water
‘On the second day, Beefy turned to me and said: “You don’t see many crocs here.” I said: “Mate, it’s not the crocs you see that are the problem.”
‘When I got up early to admire the sunrise, I saw a 4½-metre crocodile 10 metres away, just sitting there. What people don’t realise is the tides – it’s a nine-metre tide. If you go off the back of the boat, you’re going to get swept away.
‘The moment Beefy went in, a couple of guys grabbed hold of his shirt so that he didn’t lose contact. That’s the true story. But if you want me to tell the fictitious one, I’m happy to go with that, too.
‘The one where I dived in the water and dragged him out of the croc’s grasp,’ he joked.
Hughes revealed that it was his friend Justin Jones, the boat’s chef and the chief of the Northern Territory’s chamber of commerce, Greg Ireland, who all helped Botham to safety.
Hughes then revealed that one of his sons had asked him if he had really saved Botham, to which he replied: ‘I wouldn’t dive in. You don’t even dip your toe in the water up there.’
During his playing career, Hughes would go on to play in 53 Tests for Australia, returning 212 wickets and over 1,000 runs.
He now stars in a popular Aussie TV show, Merv Hughes Fishing.
‘The guys were brilliant, it was just one of those accidents,’ Botham said at the time.
‘It was all very quick and I’m OK now.’
It is estimated that between 100,000 and 200,000 adult crocodiles reside in Australia, with the Northern Territory boasting the largest population.
The Northern Territory Government has set up active croc management programmes to help reduce the likelihood of fatal attacks.
On average, one to two deaths due to crocodiles take place in Australia each year.
Forty-four people have died in Australia since croc protection measures were first implemented in Western Australia back in 1969.
Saltwater crocs can live up to 70 years and grow to around 5m in length.
They possess around 68 large teeth and can exert two tonnes of pressure with one bite.
