Beardman 6-24 on debut as Australia crush England
Debutant Mahli Beardman took 6 for 24 as Australia crushed England by seven wickets in the first one-day international in Perth on Friday, bowling the visitors out for just 131. Australia chased the target down in 23.3 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Beardman’s dream debut
The 21-year-old West Australian tore through England’s batting with pace and aggression on his ODI debut. England, who were 24 without loss after five overs, collapsed badly once Beardman and left-armer Spencer Johnson found their rhythm.
Johnson took 3 for 42 as England lost 7 wickets for 41 runs and slipped to 65 for 8, at one stage in danger of being bowled out below 100. A late partnership between Will Jacks and Gus Atkinson saved them from complete humiliation, but Jacks fell for 25 and when Beardman claimed Jofra Archer, Atkinson was left as top scorer with 29 not out from 32 balls.
Marsh finishes it in a hurry
Captain Mitchell Marsh, who had won the toss and chosen to bowl, then put the game beyond doubt with a devastating half-century off just 29 balls, hitting four boundaries and clearing the fence four more times. Australia reached 132 for 3 with 159 balls to spare.
Series context
The three-match ODI series is the start of England’s white-ball tour of Australia, which also includes five T20 internationals. The second ODI will be played in Adelaide on Sunday, November 15, followed by the third in Hobart on November 18.
Australia are without rested fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood for the series, while Marsh leads the side and Harry Brook captains England. The series began in a low-key atmosphere, with most attention on the Sandpapergate ball-tampering scandal following the launch of former Australian opener Usman Khawaja’s autobiography.
Beardman was named player of the match for his 6 for 24, one of the finest bowling performances by an Australian on ODI debut.
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Source: The Hindu, ESPNcricinfo, SuperSport/AFP