Australia's Mahli Beardman breaks records with six-fer on ODI debut
What's the story
Australia's Mahli Beardman made a stunning debut in ODI cricket, taking six wickets against England. The 21-year-old achieved the feat at Perth Stadium during the opening game of the series. His extraordinary performance helped Australia reduce England to 65/8. The Brits went on to score 131 runs before getting bundled out. Beardman scripted a ton of records with his sensational spell. Here are further details.
Bowling prowess
A stunning spell from the young pacer
Beardman's first two wickets in international cricket were those of Harry Brook and Joe Root.
He then went on to dismiss Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, and Liam Dawson in quick succession.
The young pacer was brought on as a first-change bowler nine overs into England's innings.
By the end of his fifth over, he had already registered his five-wicket haul.
Though Will Jacks (25) and Gus Atkinson (29*) took England past 100, Beardman wrapped up the innings by trapping last man Jofra Archer for 11.
Milestone
Beardman joins these names
Beardman finished with 6/24 across 7.4 overs (1 maiden).
He became the third Aussie bowler to claim six or more wickets in an ODI versus England, as per Cricinfo.
The pacer has joined Andy Bichel (7/20 in Gqeberha, 2003) and Gary Gilmour (6/14 in Leeds, 1995).
Meanwhile, this was also the first instance of Beardman claiming five or more wickets in his List A career (4W: 2).
The youngster has raced to 27 scalps across 12 games while averaging over 21. The economy is around 6.
Feats
More records for the pacer
Beardman's 6/24 are now the fourth-best figures by any bowler on ODI debut.
Scotland's Charlie Cassell (7/21 v Oman, 2024), South Africa's Kagiso Rabada (6/16 v Bangladesh, 2015), and West Indies's Fidel Edwards (6/22 v Zimbabwe, 2003) take the top three spots.
Having claimed 5/21 versus Sri Lanka in 1998, Tony Dodemaide is the only other Aussie bowler with a fifer on ODI debut.
Beardman also became the first bowler to claim more than four wickets versus England on debut.
Career path
Career so far
Beardman was inspired by Mitchell Johnson's bowling in the 2013-14 Ashes series and was mentored by legendary Dennis Lillee during his growing up years.
He was first identified at age 10, playing cricket in Cowaramup before moving to Dampier for a two-year stint, where he caught the eye of Western Australian Cricket Association.
Beardman starred for Australia in their triumphant 2024 ICC Under-19 World Cup campaign, claiming 10 wickets across six matches at a jaw-dropping economy of 2.77.