Beardman 'not forcing' red-ball evolution, soaks in surreal debut

Mahli Beardman isn't putting a timeline on his progression to red-ball cricket but there's no doubt his stunning ODI debut will have Australian fans and selectors alike salivating at what the future holds for the young speedster in the longest format.

Beardman is yet to even make his first-class debut due to an injury-plagued rise through the ranks. But after dismantling England with a six-wicket haul in Friday's first ODI, he already looks every bit at home at international level.

The 21-year-old has drawn comparisons with Pat Cummins – even from the latter himself – both in their styles of bowling but also the back injuries they had to endure in the earlier stages of their careers, with the Australian captain also fast-tracked into the national set-up when he made his Test debut as a teenager in 2011.

Like Cummins, who was crowned player of the match in his maiden Test, Beardman couldn't have dreamed of a better start to his ODI career, claiming England stars Harry Brook and Joe Root as his first scalps on his way to 6-24 from a sensational 7.4 overs.

"Lying in bed last night, that's not what I had planned," Beardman said post-match. "Such an amazing game; it's still very raw and quite surreal.

"We had a pretty clear plan as a cartel of what we wanted to execute on this wicket.

"I thought 'X' (Xavier Bartlett, 1-46) and 'Spon' (Spencer Johnson, 3-42) were amazing early, so I just picked their brain and took as much away from what they saw in the wicket as possible.

"It was just pretty simple stuff; Perth Stadium is quite a conducive wicket for fast bowling, so I was just holding a top of the stumps (length), using the occasional bouncer and trying to keep the wickets in play."

Beardman only returned from his latest back injury at the start of the domestic season in September after a recurrence of a stress fracture following his T20 international debut in January, where he also impressed with two wickets against Pakistan in Lahore.

The fact he hasn't yet played a Sheffield Shield match for Western Australia in his four years on the state's list shows how carefully managed his workloads have been as he transitions into full-time professional cricket.

And Beardman says it's not a step he wants to rush into either.

"I've had quite an average run with injuries so far, which has obviously been pretty frustrating," he said.

"The red-ball space has always been (something I've) wanted to do, it just hasn't quite clicked yet.

"I'm just listening to the sports science staff and physios and working through game-by-game, and if that opportunity arises, then obviously I'll try and take that with both hands, but that's not something that I'm forcing at the moment.

"If it gets fast-tracked or it doesn't, I think that's well beyond me. I'm just loving that I'm back playing cricket and being able to bowl again, so I'm trying to soak that up and enjoy it as much as possible."

Having grown up idolising Dale Steyn and Mitchell Johnson, as well as being mentored by fast-bowling great Dennis Lillee, it no surprise that all Beardman wants to is bowl fast as possible.

He consistently pushed above 140kph with a top speed of 145.4kph in his first ODI, with even England's best batters unable to counter his pace, bounce and unrelenting control.

"When I was 14 or 15 years old, I was down south from where I grew up originally in a little town called Cowaramup, and I was bowling at a bin down the side of a house and a family friend saw me and thought there was a little bit of airspeed there," Beardman recalled.

"He knew 'DK' (Lillee) and one of his mates, so they got in contact with him and said, 'There's this kid that we think has got some decent wheels and if you'd be willing to work with him, then he'd love to do it'.

"DK sort of said no at the start and then I think just through my persistence after a couple of months, he gave in.

"We did a session at South Perth and ever since then, I've been fortunate enough to have DK in my corner, and it's been incredible for me.

"He's obviously one of the greats of the game and his understanding of fast bowling and making difficult things seem so simple is something that's incredible, and what I've take the most away from."

With the ease at which Beardman has made the step up to international level, it's evident the impact Lillee's advice has had.

Australia v England ODI & T20I Series 2026

First ODI: Australia won by seven wickets

Second ODI: November 15, Adelaide Oval, 2:30pm AEDT (D/N)

Third ODI: November 18, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 2:30pm AEDT (D/N)

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Ollie Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Liam Scott, Adam Zampa.

England squad: Harry Brook (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, James Coles, Jordan Cox, Henry Crocombe, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Eddie Jack, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root

First T20I: November 21, MCG, 7:15pm AEDT

Second T20I: November 24, Gold Coast Stadium, 7:15pm AEDT

Third T20I: November 27, The Gabba, 7:15pm AEDT

Fourth T20I: November 29, SCG, 7:15pm AEDT

Fifth T20I: December 2, Manuka Oval, 7:15pm AEDT

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Joel Davies, Jack Edwards, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Spencer Johnson, Mitch Owen, Lachlan Shaw, Adam Zampa

England squad: Harry Brook (c), Tom Banton, James Coles, Jordan Cox, Henry Crocombe, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Aneurin Donald, Eddie Jack, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Thomas Rew, Phil Salt, Luke Wood.