A look at journey of Mahli Beardman, the latest edition to Australian pace battery

Melbourne [Australia], October 24 (ANI): Australia have added Under-19 World Cup-winning pacer Mahli Beardman to their T20I squad for the home series against reigning world champions India, for the games three to five, with Josh Hazlewood rested after the first two games and Sean Abbott after the third.

While Hazlewood and Abbott will be aiming to fine-tune their Ashes preparations during the time away from the game, the 20-year-old right-armer will be providing a new challenge to team India. However, this is not the first time he has been selected for the national side, as he was the injury replacement during the 2024 white-ball tour to England. He did not get a game there, as per Wisden.

Born in Western Australia's Dunsborough, the six-foot-two-inch speedster is amongst the latest breed of pacers in the Aussie circuit, alongside Callum Vidler, Tom Straker, Xavier Bartlett amongst others. His height, mid-140 km/h pace, and ability to swing the ball both ways are some of his traits that make him a brilliant prospect for the future.

Mahli was a crucial part of the Aussie U19 World Cup-winning squad, with 10 wickets at an average of 10.50 and an economy rate of 2.77. He was the 'Player of the Match' during the title clash against India, taking 3/15, including two scalps of in-form batters Uday Saharan and Musheer Khan.

By the time he had entered this tournament, he had made his List A debut in November 2023 for Western Australia against New South Wales. So far in five List A fixtures, he has taken 12 wickets at an average of 17.75 and an economy rate of 5.75, with best figures of 4/46 against South Australia last season.

This season, after coming off a back injury, he has taken five wickets in two List A matches this season (3/48 and 2/55).

In T20I cricket, Mahli produced an immediate impact, taking 3/17 for the Perth Scorchers against the Adelaide Strikers in only his second T20 match.

The bowler is being mentored by legendary Dennis Lillie, who also served as a mentor for legendary pacer Mitchell Johnson. The 20-year-old feels that the legendary Aussie has helped him make a massive shift in his game and mindset.

"I have been working with him since I was about 14 or 15," Beardman said to ESPNcricinfo in 2024.

"He has been unbelievable for me from a cricket sense, but also from a character point of view. It can be a pretty taxing game," he added.

Mahli also rubbed shoulders with Aussie skipper Pat Cummins during a training session with the senior Aussie side at the WACA, Perth, before the West Indies Test in late 2022. Mahli spoke on the advice gave by Cummins about "crease angles, bowling wide and not being stationary".

"I did not have a lot to say to Pat, I was pretty nervous," Beardman recollected.

"I tried to pick his brain. One thing that he did tell me was the importance of crease angles...bowling wide and not being stationary. That has been a big difference for me because I started experimenting...going wider and changing things up to batters," he added.

A strong outing against India could also help him earn a spot in the Ashes side, with the first ball to be bowled at Perth on November 21. (ANI)

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