Mahli Beardman Took Five on ODI Debut. Who is the Australian Who Rattled England?

Mahli Beardman’s first over in one-day international cricket was a maiden. Joe Root faced all six balls without scoring. England captain Harry Brook fell in Beardman’s next over, and Root went in the one after that. By the end of his first spell in Perth on November 13, the 21-year-old Australian quick had taken five wickets for 18 runs in six overs. England had gone from 38 for 2 when he came on to 67 for 8 when he came off.

How did Beardman get Brook and Root?

He made both play at balls that moved enough to find the edge. Brook, on one, tried to defend a delivery that angled in and moved away off the seam. That is the raised stitching on a cricket ball, which can make it change direction after it hits the pitch. Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis took the catch. Root, playing his 200th ODI, went for a drive on 17 and edged behind too. Beardman had removed England’s captain and its most experienced batter before either could settle.

Where did the other three wickets come from?

Beardman drew Jordan Cox into a drive and Inglis took his third catch off the debutant. Sam Curran went after a short ball that rose towards him and hit it to Adam Zampa near the boundary. Then Liam Dawson reached for a drive and edged to Jack Edwards. Beardman had 5 for 13 when Dawson fell at 60 for 7. He gave up five more runs before his opening spell ended. Spencer Johnson took the eighth wicket with a one-handed catch off his own bowling.

How close did England come to a record low?

England’s all-time men’s ODI low is 86 all out, against Australia at Old Trafford in 2001. Will Jacks and Gus Atkinson took England past it in Perth, reaching 91 for 8 after 25 overs. England’s lowest completed ODI total against Australia on Australian soil was 94 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1979.

The eighth-wicket score is a different measure. England were 65 for 8 in Perth, and the same opponents had them 52 for 8 at Headingley in the 1975 World Cup semi-final. England recovered to 93 that day.

Who is Beardman, and how did Dennis Lillee find him?

He is a right-arm fast bowler from Dunsborough in south-western Western Australia. A mutual friend, Rod Duggan, saw him bowl in a backyard and suggested he meet Dennis Lillee. Beardman persuaded Lillee, who usually waited until youngsters turned 16, to watch him at about 15. They went to the practice nets in South Perth. Lillee, who took 355 Test wickets, taught him how to position fielders and use those positions to make batters guess what was coming.

Why did Australia pick him so early?

His pace had already taken him into Western Australia’s one-day side at 18. He was also player of the match in the 2024 Under-19 World Cup final, taking 3 for 15 in seven overs. In September that year, after just one senior professional match, Australia called him up as a standby for the ODI series in England. He could be called into the side if needed. Beardman told reporters the message had come from selector Tony Dodemaide. Two years later, he made his ODI debut against England at home in Western Australia.

Why did he have to wait for his ODI debut?

Beardman made his senior international debut in a T20 against Pakistan in Lahore in January 2026, taking 2/33. He had just come off a 13-wicket Big Bash season with the title-winning Perth Scorchers. A stress injury in his lower back then ended his season early. By November he was fit for the England series, with Australia leaving Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood out of the white-ball squads as they prepared for Test cricket. Mitchell Marsh gave Beardman the ball in the 10th over in Perth.

What makes the Dodemaide comparison so good?

Dodemaide, the selector who got in touch in 2024, had set Australia’s men’s ODI debut record with 5 for 21 against Sri Lanka in January 1988. He did it at the WACA Ground in Perth. Across the Swan River at Perth Stadium, Beardman came off after his opening spell with the same number of wickets for three fewer runs. A bowling record is based on the figures at the end of the innings.

Where does Beardman get his next chance?

The second ODI is in Adelaide on November 15, with the third in Hobart on November 18. In Perth, Mitchell Marsh had Xavier Bartlett and Spencer Johnson open the bowling, then sent Beardman on in the 10th over. The three-match series gives Marsh more chances to see where the new quick fits, including whether to give him the new ball or bring him on once the openers have had a go.