Twenty-one years old, one previous international match, and a history of back injuries that had people wondering when he would get a proper run. Then Mahli Beardman walked out at Perth Stadium on Friday and took 6 for 24 on his ODI debut.
England lasted only 33.4 overs and made 131, and Australia knocked off the runs in the 24th over to win the first ODI by seven wickets and go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Beardman’s debut in numbers
- 6 for 24 from 7.4 overs: no Australian has ever returned better figures in his first ODI, and only three players from any country have
- Five wickets in 28 balls: the fastest ODI five-for by an Australian
- Wickets: Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson and Jofra Archer
- Crowd: 27,313 at Perth Stadium
How he did it
Beardman did not even get the new ball. Xavier Bartlett and Spencer Johnson opened the bowling, and he came on in the 10th over. He started with a maiden, hitting the same back-of-a-length spot again and again, then removed England captain Brook with a ball that angled in and left him late.
Joe Root, playing his 200th ODI, never got going. He was dropped on 3 and had scratched his way to 12 from 33 deliveries when Beardman found his edge with a fuller one that moved late off the seam. Cox, Curran, Dawson and finally Archer followed. Beardman was regularly in the mid-140s km/h, mixing short balls with fuller lengths, and the Perth bounce did the rest.
England only avoided their lowest ODI total against Australia, 86 at Manchester in 2001, because Gus Atkinson (29 not out) and Will Jacks added 37 for the ninth wicket. Johnson finished with 3 for 42.
Marsh finishes it quickly
Travis Head dragged his second ball onto his stumps, so Atkinson struck with the very first ball he bowled. Captain Mitchell Marsh then made 50 off 30 balls, hitting Archer for two big sixes in three balls, for his fourth ODI fifty in a row. Cooper Connolly made 27 before Josh Inglis and Matt Renshaw finished the chase.
A welcome distraction for Australia
The win came during a difficult week for Australian cricket. A day earlier, Pat Cummins gave a long press conference in Sydney responding to allegations from Usman Khawaja, which he called “complete and utter nonsense”. Marsh also faced questions about the 2018 sandpaper scandal. For one afternoon at least, the talk was about a young fast bowler instead.
Who is Mahli Beardman?
Born in Dunsborough, Western Australia, Beardman plays for WA and the Perth Scorchers. He first made headlines with 3 for 15 in the 2024 Under-19 World Cup final, which Australia won against India. His only previous international game was a T20I against Pakistan in January this year. Dennis Lillee has been a mentor, and David Warner has compared him to Dale Steyn.
What’s next in the series
| Match | Date | Venue | Start |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | Fri, Nov 13 | Perth Stadium | Australia won by 7 wickets |
| 2nd ODI | Sun, Nov 15 | Adelaide Oval | 2pm local (9am IST) |
| 3rd ODI | Wed, Nov 18 | Bellerive Oval, Hobart | 2:30pm local (9am IST) |
With Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Cummins rested for the series, Beardman looks set to keep his place. England have a selection call of their own: they picked Liam Dawson over Adil Rashid again, then did not bowl him at all.
More match reports and previews: Cricket News.