Mahli Beardman, a key member of Australia’s U19 World Cup-winning pace attack, is now on the brink of making his mark in international cricket.
Just a month ago, Beardman’s focus was set on breaking into Western Australia’s One-Day Cup squad and possibly making his Big Bash League debut for the Perth Scorchers. The young fast bowler, part of WA’s impressive pace pipeline, was content with waiting behind established names like Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, and Liam Haskett, as well as seasoned domestic players such as Joel Paris, Cameron Gannon, Matt Kelly, and Charlie Stobo.
That’s why, when he received a text message from national selector Tony Dodemaide on Monday morning asking him to join Australia’s ODI squad in England, Beardman initially thought it was a joke. Injuries and workload management have thinned Australia’s pace resources for their ongoing limited-overs tour of the UK, leading to Beardman being called to Nottingham as a standby player for the upcoming five-match 50-over series starting Thursday.
The 19-year-old, who consistently bowls above 140kph, was instrumental in Australia’s U19 World Cup final win over India in February, where he was named player of the match. His inclusion in the senior squad offers a valuable opportunity for him to fast-track his development.
While Beardman only has one List-A match under his belt, an ODI debut could be closer than he ever imagined.