Mahli Beardman Dominates England in ODI Debut
On a day when Australian cricket expected to be answering for its past, England obligingly supplied a fresh distraction.
Bowled out for 131 in 33.4 overs in the first one-day international in Perth, Harry Brook’s side crumbled on a hard, fast surface that once again exposed their technique and temperament. The sandpaper scandal still hung over the occasion; England’s batting collapse simply changed the headlines.
At the centre of it all stood Mahli Beardman. Twenty-one years old. On ODI debut. Six wickets for 24 runs.
He did not ease his way into international cricket. He tore into it.
Brook, leading England in this series, was Beardman’s first victim, nicking off in the seamer’s second over. A landmark wicket, yes, but there was no time for sentiment. Beardman hit the pitch hard, found just enough movement, and kept coming. By the time he completed his opening burst, his figures read 5-18 from five overs and England were in ruins.
Tom Banton, one of only three England batters to pass 20, had tried to impose himself. He reached 25, then drove once too often and paid the price. Joe Root, the most experienced player in the line-up, managed 17 before falling in the same manner. Jordan Cox and Sam Curran followed in that initial spell, beaten by pace, bounce and unerring accuracy.
The pattern became painfully familiar. Drive. Edge. Walk.
Perth has done this to England before. Memories of last winter’s Ashes mauling at the same venue are still raw, and the dismissals on Friday felt like a grim replay. Ben Duckett, Banton and Root all perished driving. Later, Liam Dawson and Jofra Archer joined the list, chasing width and feeding a hungry cordon.
This was not a surface for half-committed strokes. It offered pace and bounce, and demanded discipline. England offered neither.
Beardman, by contrast, looked born for it. Strong run-up, brisk through the air, and a length that forced indecision. By the time he collected his sixth wicket, he had secured the best bowling figures by an Australian on ODI debut. On a day that began with David Warner accusing Pat Cummins on television of throwing Usman Khawaja “under the bus”, it was the rookie quick who dragged the conversation back to the middle.
Australia have not yet faced a ball in this match, but they scarcely needed to. England’s 131 feels well short of par, even with the occasional early-morning jag that Perth can produce. After heavy defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka last month, this was supposed to be a step towards stability ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Instead, it looked like a continuation of the same slide: loose shots, soft dismissals, no real sense of a plan.
The opportunity was there for England to twist the knife on an Australian side still fielding questions about old sins and internal rifts. Cummins had already fired back at Khawaja’s comments; Warner had stoked the flames again before a ball was bowled. The backdrop was fraught, the mood edgy.
England’s batters had a chance to add to the discomfort. They handed Australia relief.
Now the equation is brutally simple. Unless their bowlers can conjure something extraordinary, this match will drift into another defeat, another dent to confidence, another reminder that the World Cup clock is ticking and England are nowhere near ready.
