Mahli Beardman Stuns England Debut

Mahli Beardman’s record 6-24 ODI debut powers Australia past England.

Australia Thump England

PERTH: Mahli Beardman ripped through England with figures of 6-24 on his ODI debut as Australia thumped their arch rivals in the series opener at Perth Stadium.

Auspicious start

Test skipper Pat Cummins had a nervous press conference before the match, recalling the 2018 Cape Town controversies. Australia needed to kick off their three-match ODI series against their old rivals on a high note, and the Perth pitch looked promising.

Captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and chose to bowl first, taking advantage of the high bounce and pace synonymous with Western Australia.

How it unfolded

• The new ball saw Xavier Bartlett and Spencer Johnson open the bowling. England struggled against the bounce, with their openers Tom Banton and Ben Duckett failing to settle.
• Beardman came into the attack in the 10th over. The 21-year-old looked completely calm and composed, despite having a career plagued by serious back injuries. He was very consistent, bowling at a consistent pace of mid-140s kph.
• First wicket: Beardman took his first ODI wicket with the dismissal of England captain Harry Brook, edging a well angled ball.
• Root out: Joe Root looked very uncomfortable against the pace. A well angled ball took the edge of his bat, reminiscent of Dale Steyn. The ball was his 200th ODI.
• Collapse: Jordan Cox, Sam Curran and Liam Dawson were all dismissed quickly.
• Beardman finished the innings with the dismissal of Jofra Archer. He finished with figures of 6-24 from 7.4 overs. He received a standing ovation from the crowd.
• Chase: Australia chased down the target with ease, scoring 132-3 from 23.3 overs.

Match Scorecard at a Glance

RECORDS!

• Best Australian ODI debut performance (6/24).
• Fastest 5 wickets for Australia in ODI (28 balls).
• Joe Root’s 200th ODI saw him fall victim to a Beardman wicket.
• Wickets in Beardman’s spell: Brook, Root, Cox, Curran, Dawson, Archer

Key Takeaways:

1. A toss win gave them the right decision to bowl on a lively pitch. England struggled to adapt to the bounce, having come off flat pitches in Pakistan.
2. Beardman used his varying lengths well by mixing aggressive short stuff with good full deliveries. This caused problems for England’s batters and led to the collapse.
3. Fitness has been an underlying theme throughout the game. He came into his debut after a tough start due to back injuries. If he remains fit, Australia will have a young pace bowler which they can use to open up a game.
4. England’s batting looked shaky. They were only able to put on 37 runs at the end of the innings with Jacks and Atkinson at the ninth wicket. Without this they could have had their lowest ever ODI score against Australia.
5. This changes the mood of the game. It gives Australia a confident start to the series and takes the focus away from the noise off the field.

What’s Next?

There are still two ODIs to play in the series. England will need to find a way to deal with the bounce and Australia’s pace attack. They may need to change their batting order. Australia will also want to see if Beardman can replicate his performance.

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