GALLE, Dec 2: England spinner Gareth Batty went into Tuesday’s first Test against Sri Lanka in this coastal town after being rescued from the sea outside the team hotel a day earlier.

Batty had been body-surfing with captain Michael Vaughan and fast bowler Matthew Hoggard on Monday afternoon when all three were caught by a rip tide that washed them away from the coast.

The well-built Hoggard managed to swim ashore, while Vaughan scrambled onto some rocks and alerted lifeguards as Batty struggled to escape the strong currents.

“There was a point when I feared the worst,” said the 26-year-old Batty, clearly shaken by the incident.

“The rocks I was getting washed up against were hellish sharp. Vaughany could tell I was struggling and he was getting pretty animated on the rocks.

“It was his waving that caught the attention of five or six blokes on the beach.

“I know that when you get caught in a rip you are supposed to relax and let it take you where it wants, but it’s not quite as easy as that when there are lots of jagged rocks about.

“They caught me in quite a few places and I have a few nicks on my arms and legs,” Batty said.

Wellage Gamini, one of the lifeguards who rescued Batty, said the cricketer was lucky to survive.

“We always tell Europeans it is all right to swim in the sea, but always near the shore,” Gamini said.—AFP