Mahli Beardman ripped England's batting order apart on Friday. The 21-year-old Western Australia fast bowler snared 6 for 24 in a blistering ODI debut at Perth Stadium, skittling the visitors for a paltry 131 inside 34 overs. Australia chased down the target with seven wickets in hand and 159 deliveries to spare. It was brutal, clinical, and over before twilight settled.
Mitch Marsh won the toss, inspected a lively Perth green-top, and unleashed his quicks. England never recovered. Ben Duckett fell for nine to Spencer Johnson, Tom Banton walked back for 25 to Xavier Bartlett, and then Beardman took over. The rookie tore the heart out of England’s middle order with steep bounce, searing pace, and relentless seam movement. England lost their last eight wickets for just 64 runs.
Beardman dismantled the touring spine with ruthless accuracy. He found the edge of Harry Brook’s bat for one, drew Joe Root into nicking behind on 17, and then removed Jordan Cox for two—all caught cleanly by wicketkeeper Josh Inglis. Sam Curran and Liam Dawson both departed for ducks against his skidding pace.
With those strikes, Beardman became the first Australian bowler since Tony Dodemaide in 1988 to capture a five-wicket haul on ODI debut. He did not settle for five. Jofra Archer flapped at a lifting delivery and sliced it to gully for 11, handing Beardman his sixth scalp. Gus Atkinson battled alone, finishing stranded on an unbeaten 29 as England folded in 33.4 overs.
It's just a great privilege and honour to be able to represent my country, and then to be able to go out and take a few wickets as well is just a cherry on top," Beardman said after collecting his match award.
| Player | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy | Match Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahli Beardman | 7.4 | 1 | 24 | 6 | 3.13 | Best Australian ODI debut figures since 1988 |
| Spencer Johnson | 8.0 | 0 | 42 | 3 | 5.25 |
England struck immediate fire with the new ball. Gus Atkinson breached Travis Head's defence on the first ball he faced in the second over, rattling the timber for a golden duck. Australia stood 4 for 1. The fightback died right there.
Marsh took absolute charge of the response. The Australian skipper cleared the ropes four times in an aggressive half-century, punishing anything pitched short of a good length. Jamie Overton eventually had Marsh caught in the deep for his solitary wicket at 1 for 35, and Archer prised out Cooper Connolly for 27. But the damage had already been done. Inglis joined Matt Renshaw at the crease, knocking off the remaining runs without further alarm to push Australia to 132 for 3 in 23.3 overs.
Match Stakes: Beardman's breakthrough outing hands Australia an unassailable psychological edge in the series opener, proving the hosts retain terrifying pace depth even when frontline red-ball regulars rest.
Yet the victory arrived against a tense off-field backdrop. Australian cricket spent matchday reeling from fresh claims published in Usman Khawaja's new autobiography this week. In the book, Khawaja asserted that awareness of the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering plot extended beyond the trio sanctioned at the time.
Current Test captain Pat Cummins mounted a fierce defence earlier on Friday, staging an hour-long press conference to reject the claims entirely, calling them "100% wrong." Former opener David Warner, who served a 12-month ban over the 2018 Cape Town incident, backed Khawaja's account while speaking on live television commentary. The boardroom and media storm raged across the morning, but on the turf in Perth, Beardman's six-wicket blitz ensured the afternoon belonged strictly to the scoreboard.
Australia carry their 1-0 advantage to Adelaide for the second ODI on Sunday, before the three-match series wraps up in Hobart on Wednesday.
| Broke opening stand |
| Xavier Bartlett | 8.0 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 5.75 | Removed Tom Banton (25) |
| Gus Atkinson | 5.0 | 1 | 24 | 1 | 4.80 | Clean bowled Head for golden duck |