NOW I know what the Aussies must have endured when they encountered Ian Botham.
The cricket legend, knighted in 2007 for his outstanding all-round contributions for England, growled at me: "How much time do you need?"
I replied, half-jokingly: "More than an hour."
He became furious. "No go, you get just 20 minutes," he said, and stormed off to complain to the American Express representative, who had arranged the interview at 4.30pm.
I stood my ground. He soon cooled down. And, after a short discussion, agreed to talk to me.
Botham and former England batsman Allan Lamb had just flown in from Hong Kong and were visibly tired. But they answered my questions on Twenty-20 cricket with spontaneity at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.
Two legends: Cricketers Ian Botham and Allan Lamb in Singapore. ST PHOTO
I though it would not be decent on my part to stretch it. So, I entered into a pact with the Amex representative that I would be given the chance to ask more questions during the Dine with The Legends event that was to commence at 7pm.
A relieved Botham walked off for a nap. I couldn't help noticing as he passed by that he was not as huge as he appeared on television when he steamed in to bowl at the Aussies. He was beefy, but only slightly taller than my 1.75m height. He was not a giant that I had to fear.
Botham was one of the great all-rounders of the game that I admired when he was on top of his game in the late 70s and early 80s.
I doffed my cap to his fighting qualities. He could turn around a match with his exceptional batting and bowling skills, as he did on numerous occasions against his arch-rivals Australia.
The Amex representative tried her best to comfort me, telling me that it was jet-lag that made him behave the way he did. I said I’m used to such characters, because cricket is full of them.
Some of the American Express platinum card members had paid more than $1,000 to be seated on the same table as Botham and Lamb during the dinner. I found myself among the exalted company without shelling a cent.
Diehard cricket fans worldwide, I'm sure, would envy me.
Botham was a different man when he walked in for the dinner. He mingled freely with the guests and, after a peg or two of Glenlivet, opened up to me.
I got the story I wanted. But, more importantly, I enjoyed the Beefy and Lamby show. After a splendid dinner, they regaled the audience with cricketing anecdotes.
You have to be a cricket fanatic to enjoy most of what they said. It was side-splitting. I had never experienced such amusing and detailed talk from cricketers before.
The coordination between Botham and Lamb was brilliant. And it was facilitated by the sarcastic prods of ESPN Star Sports commentator Alan Wilkins.
They spoke about their pet hate, former England captain Geoff Boycott who was a dour character, how they believed drinking beer and wine at the bar would help their game rather than working out in the nets, and how they took the mickey out of umpires, teammates and opponents.
It was so hilarious that the guests were rolling with laughter. "I had the time of my life," said Julie Brown,49, a Londoner who has been living in Singapore for the past 13 years. "They told such great stories. The punchlines were great. I was privileged to watch him as a cricketer. Now, I was able to sit so close to him."
Botham is a pundit now, extolling the virtues of Test cricket and abhorring the slam-bang T-20. He is also a champion fund-raiser, having raised more than 15 million pounds from his long-distance walks for leukemia research.
When Wilkins asked him if he would embark on such a walk in Singapore, he immediately said yes. And American Express said it would sponsor the event.
Botham may have stirred several controversies and appeared brash during his colourful career. But he has a friendly and humane side to him. I was privileged to experience that last Wednesday.