Ian Botham was rescued by his former Ashes rival Merv Hughes after falling into crocodile-infested waters while fishing.

The pair were among a group on a boat in Australia when the accident occurred, with Botham escaping with nothing worse than heavy bruising.

Writing on Instagram, the former England all-rounder said: “My catch of the day was the barra while I was nearly catch of the day for all the crocs and bull sharks…thanks boys for getting me out.”

Botham and Hughes were key members of their respective Ashes teams and crossed swords many times on the pitch in the late 1980s and early 90s but have remained friends since.

Botham joked about his similarity to Australian film character Crocodile Dundee, saying in the Herald Sun: “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.”