Australia will hand a debut to pace bowler Mahli Beardman in the first of three one-day internationals against England on Friday, with skipper Mitchell Marsh calling him “an amazing talent.” The 21-year-old will make his ODI debut on his home ground.
Veteran quicks Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are all sitting out the series, which begins in the shadow of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal that reignited this week.
A chance for fresh faces
The absence of Australia’s senior bowlers ahead of home Tests against New Zealand has given selectors the opportunity to include a host of new players as they build towards their World Cup defence next year.
Marsh spoke highly of Beardman when confirming his selection. “He’s an amazing talent, a ripping young kid,” Marsh told reporters. “Looking forward to seeing him out on a fast and bouncy Perth Stadium wicket.”
The Australian captain also praised the young bowler’s maturity. “For a young kid, he really understands his game early on in his career,” he said. “He loves to bowl fast, he’s always on record saying that all he wants to do is bowl fast, and that’s an attitude that you can’t always teach.”
Beardman’s road back
Beardman made his T20 debut in January, claiming 2-33 against Pakistan in Lahore. He then spent the next seven months recovering from a back stress injury before earning his place in the one-day squad.
Attack and batting line-up
The rest of the Australian team will be announced at the toss. Xavier Bartlett is set to lead the attack alongside Beardman and left-arm seamer Spencer Johnson. All-rounders Jack Edwards and Liam Scott are additional options.
Marsh and Travis Head headline the Australian batting. They are supported by Test players Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw and Alex Carey, who are also in the squad.
England under pressure
The home side enter the series with a run of three straight ODI series wins over England. The visitors have also suffered a double blow before the first game, with batsman Jacob Bethell and paceman Josh Tongue both ruled out through injury. Both players are heading home.
England will once again rely heavily on veteran Joe Root to anchor the batting and on Jofra Archer to lead the attack.
Root said the team’s priorities are clear. “Our focus is all about what we do between now and that World Cup,” he said. “We’re not the most finished article, we’re not an experienced team that’s been together for three or four years. So it’s really important we make the most of the opportunities that we have ahead of us, and we keep looking to learn and grow and develop to get ourselves in the best possible place leading into that tournament.”
Australia will play England in five T20 internationals after the one-day series.