CHENNAI: Thirty-eight years is a long wait, but Mahli Beardman made sure it was worth it. The young Australian pacer announced himself to the Perth faithful with a sensational 6/24 – the best figures for an Australian on ODI debut – against England in the first clash at the Optus Stadium on Friday.
But Beardman’s performance is quite poetic on multiple levels.
After all, Perth is Australia’s pace capital and home to one of the greatest fast bowlers, Dennis Lillee. For the 21-year-old Beardman, the region holds a special place in his cricketing journey. Having grown up in Margaret River, south of Perth, he made his first significant strides at the WACA Ground, where Lillee took young Beardman under his wing.
The tale goes much deeper than that. After watching Beardman tear through with his ripping pace, Lillee was already impressed with his talent. However, at that time, the Australian legend, who also trained Mitchell Johnson, had a rule: he wouldn’t train cricketers until they turned 16.
"DK (Lillee) had a rule that he wouldn't work with anyone until they were 16," Beardman told reporters back in February 2024, reported Cricket Australia.
"I had to do a little bit of waiting and a little bit of work, but when I was about 15 I convinced him to finally have a look. We went down to the South Perth nets and had a bowl down there and (I) got along really well with him.”
Ever since then, Beardman’s growth in Australian cricket has been highly anticipated. In 2022, despite being 17, the Dunsborough-born pacer was invited by the Australian management to be part of the Test atmosphere during the West Indies series. Later on, in 2024, he was also added as a cover in the five-match ODI series against England.
It was during that England tour that the 19-year-old, on the back of his U-19 success for Australia, picked the brains of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
“I'm super lucky to have some exposure and experience now around Starky [Starc], Cummo [Cummins], and Hoff [Hazlewood],” Beardman told reporters during Australia A’s visit to India earlier last month.
“We've spoken about a lot of stuff. Just from a technical standpoint, there have been some little things that Starky's thrown at me that have been awesome. From there, I've just been trying to pick their brains as much as possible on gameplay.”
“Obviously, they've had so much experience and success across a long period of time now, so they have a way of keeping the game super simple, which I'm lucky enough to be able to tap into. Again, without revealing too much, we've spoken about things from a technical aspect, and then from the game side of things—just field positions and stuff like that.”
Just as Beardman's rise appeared to be gathering momentum, his progress hit a roadblock. In the 2025 Australian winter, the 20-year-old suffered a stress fracture, which seriously threatened to bring his pace down. But not for Beardman, who quickly made a return and regained his pace and rhythm during the Big Bash League season with figures of 3/20 against Sydney Sixers, including bouncing Steve Smith out in the fixture.
“Not really [concerned about the] pace. Unfortunately, I've had a few injuries now, so I've done this before, but there's always that unknown about what's going to happen with your body—whether you're going to be able to withstand the workloads again and get back to how you were bowling before.”
“I was lucky enough that I felt like I was in some decent rhythm during the Big Bash and heading into Pakistan before my injury. There are always some worries about whether you're going to get back, but I'm pretty lucky to have the staff here at CA [Cricket Australia], and the staff back at the WACA [Western Australian Cricket Association] have been amazing as well. I've been in good hands, and I'm just thankful that I'm back on board.”
Beardman entered the England ODI series on the back of some impressive displays in Puducherry against India A, where he picked up five wickets across two innings, including 4/23 in his first outing in India.
The signs were evident from the outset. Beardman clocked 140 kmph in his first over before touching 145.4 kmph as his confidence grew. His raw pace, allied with a sharp line, accounted for Harry Brook and Joe Root – his first two ODI victims. A vicious bouncer that caught Sam Curran by surprise offered another glimpse of his repertoire.
In just 28 deliveries, Beardman had a five-wicket haul, the fastest by an Australian on debut, only to end up with a six-wicket haul – the most by an Australian on debut. His biggest inspiration, however, isn’t an Australian but South African great, Dale Steyn.
“I just loved how aggressive Dale [Steyn] was with the new rock—his ability to run in and swing the ball both ways at a good pace,” he revealed.
“Going through the years, we saw how well he competed and the crazy eyes that he had. That's something I try to implement in my cricket: once you cross the white line, there's some aggression, and you wear your heart on your sleeve when you bowl. I loved watching that growing up, and that's something I try to implement now.”
With the IPL 2027 auction approaching in December, Beardman's emergence could hardly have come at a better time. His pace and ability to strike with the new ball are likely to attract plenty of attention.
Growing up, Beardman watched Mitchell Johnson rip through England’s batting line-up. He is now just following in the footsteps of Australia’s great fast bowlers, with an emphatic introduction on home soil. And perhaps it is only fitting that Australia's next pace sensation has emerged from Lillee-land, with a little bit of Steyn's fire.