Mahli Beardman takes six wickets on debut as Australia beat England in Perth
The 21-year-old took 6 for 24, the best figures by an Australian man on one-day international debut, to set up a seven-wicket win.
Australia had picked Mahli Beardman to make his one-day international debut in his home city. By the time he finished bowling in Perth on Friday, the 21-year-old had taken six wickets for 24 runs and set an Australian men’s debut record. England were dismissed for 131 in the opening match of the series on 13 November. Australia reached 132 for three in 23.3 overs to win by seven wickets.
Beardman’s first two wickets removed the players England would have looked to for control of the innings. Harry Brook, the captain, fell first, then Joe Root. The International Cricket Council recorded England at 55 for four after 14 overs. Beardman went on to dismiss Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson and Jofra Archer. By the time he took the last wicket of the innings, he had bowled 7.4 overs and accounted for six of the ten dismissals.
A chance in a changed attack
The ICC said Beardman was only the second Australian man to take at least five wickets on his ODI debut, after Tony Dodemaide in 1988. It ranked the performance fourth among men’s ODI debut figures worldwide. The result came with Australia’s established fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood out of the white-ball squad as they prepared for upcoming Tests. Australia had already brought Beardman into its plans after his performances for Australia A, according to the governing body.
Mitchell Marsh made 50 to put Australia ahead of the required scoring rate. Josh Inglis and Matt Renshaw were still there when Australia passed the target. The result puts the hosts one win away from taking the three-match ODI series, which moves to Adelaide on Sunday 15 November and Hobart on Wednesday 18 November before the teams switch to Twenty20 cricket.
Analysis — England’s problem before the chase
Losing both Brook and Root so early left England’s middle order with two jobs at once. The batters had to stop the wickets falling while keeping enough scoring options open to put up a defendable total. Once Beardman began taking wickets in clusters, every new batter inherited a smaller margin for error. Australia could keep looking for dismissals because there was little pressure from the scoreboard.
Adelaide offers a quick test of how both sides respond. For England, a partnership after the first few overs would give the middle order more freedom and make Australia choose between attacking fields and limiting runs. For the hosts, Perth showed what an inexperienced fast bowler can do when given the opportunity to bowl at established international batters. The next match will show how the attack handles a longer innings if England build that platform.