flag
back Back
Five-for in 28 balls: Australia debutant tears through England in sensational spell

Mahli Beardman demolished the England batting line-up with his pace, picking up five wickets in just 28 balls on his ODI debut in Perth.

Beardman was introduced into the attack in the 10th over when England had just lost Tom Banton and were 38-2, with Ben Duckett falling to Spencer Johnson early on. He built on the pressure in his first over, delivering a maiden to Joe Root before dismissing Harry Brook with a 141 kph delivery that angled in and nipped away in the next. With his foot going nowhere, Brook could only edge the ball to wicketkeeper Josh Inglis.

It was Root’s turn next, who drove at a delivery angling away, only to edge it to the keeper. With two of their best batters gone, England were in tatters, but Beardman’s spell had just begun. He made life worse for the visitors, sending back Jordan Cox and Sam Curran in his next over. While Cox nicked one behind with his poor footwork, Curran was undone by a well-directed 143.2 kph bouncer and was caught at fine leg.

Beardman continued to have fun on his ODI debut, dismissing Liam Dawson in his next over and completing a stunning five-wicket haul in just 28 balls. England were reduced from 38-2 to 60-7 in no time. Fittingly, the debutant picked up the last wicket of the innings, dismissing Jofra Archer and finishing with figures of 6-24, the best for an Australian on debut.

This extraordinary performance put Beardman in elite company, making him just the second Australia bowler in history to claim a five-wicket haul on ODI debut — a feat first accomplished by Tony Dodemaide back in 1988 against Sri Lanka.

Best figures on debut in ODIs, full list: Mahli Beardman breaks Australia record

Player

Bowling figures

Team

Opposition

Venue

Year

Charlie Cassell

7-21

Scotland

Oman

Dundee

July 2024

Kagiso Rabada

6-16

South Africa

Bangladesh

Mirpur

July 2015

Fidel Edwards

6-22

West Indies

Zimbabwe

Harare

November 2003

Mahli Beardman

6-24

Australia

England

Perth

November 2026

Lyle Robertson

6-52

Scotland

Canada

Dundee

August 2026

Jan Frylinck

5-13

Namibia

Oman

Windhoek

April 2019

Tony Dodemaide

5-21

Australia

Sri Lanka

Perth

January 1988

Uvais Karnain

5-26

Sri Lanka

New Zealand

Moratuwa

March 1984

Austin Codrington

5-27

Canada

Bangladesh

Durban

February 2003

Taskin Ahmed

5-28

Bangladesh

India

Mirpur

June 2014

England were ultimately skittled for just 131 runs in the 34th over. Gus Atkinson, who came out to bat at 10, was their top scorer, scoring an unbeaten 29 off 32 deliveries with three fours and a six.

Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.

EnglandAustralia Cover StoriesTrending StoriesCover Stories UKSeries Cover Stories

You may like

'Ro-Ko bond is stronger than ever!' Indian fans stunned as India's top three batters fall for duc...

Indiatimes 1 hour ago

Fans left stunned as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fall for ducks in NZ vs IND 4th ODI

CricketTimes 35 minutes ago

IND vs NZ 4th ODI: India Create Embarrassing ODI Record After Matt Henry's Fiery First Over Again...

Jagran 1 hour ago

WATCH: Spencer Johnson pulls off a gravity-defying grab to dismiss Jamie Overton in AUS vs ENG 1s...

CricketTimes 1 hour ago

Gautam Gambhir's Tense Dressing Room Moment Goes Viral As Team India Suffer Batting Collapse In 3...

Free press Journal 44 minutes ago

India Script Unwanted ODI History As Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli & Shreyas Iyer Fall For Ducks

ABP Live 1 hour ago

Rohit Sharma ends 205-innings streak with first golden duck as India opener

Cricket Addictor 2 hours ago

IND vs NZ 4th ODI: Young's Ton Leads New Zealand To 333/10, India Face 334-Run Chase

ABP Live 2 hours ago

Rohit Sharma sets personal best for most ODI catches in a calendar year

CricTracker 3 hours ago

'2019 WC SF Flashbacks': Fans React As Matt Henry Rattles Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma & Shreyas Iyer

ABP Live 53 minutes ago