Young fast bowler Mahli Beardman enjoyed a sensational One Day International debut at Optus Stadium on Friday, November 13, 2026, dismantling the opposition with remarkable precision. The 21-year-old local prodigy recorded figures of 6-24 across 7.4 overs, claiming a five-wicket haul within his initial 28 deliveries. This display overtook Tony Dodemaide’s 1988 mark of 5-31 against Sri Lanka to become the finest bowling performance by an Australian man making his 50-over international bow. His breakthrough outing stood in stark contrast to his outing less than a week earlier at the WACA, where he went wicketless over 10 overs during a warm-up fixture against Western Australia.
Prior to the match, attention was dominated by regular Test captain Pat Cummins, who conducted an extraordinary 68-minute media briefing to refute claims published in Usman Khawaja’s new memoir. Cummins strongly rejected allegations that the entire squad was aware of the plot to alter the ball using sandpaper during the 2018 Cape Town Test match against South Africa, branding the assertions “100 per cent untrue” and “utter nonsense”. Despite being rested for the three-match series alongside fellow front-line seamers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, the skipper took center stage before praising debutant Beardman as a “really exciting prospect”. Stand-in leader Mitchell Marsh had also brushed aside inquiry regarding the six-year-old scandal the previous day before stepping onto the field to guide his side.
Set a modest target after bowling out the visitors for 131 in 33.4 overs, the hosts comfortably reached 132-3 in just 23.3 overs to secure an opening victory. Although Travis Head was removed for a first-ball duck by Gus Atkinson—who had previously struck a match-winning century at the venue during the 2025 Ashes—Marsh counter-attacked aggressively. The temporary captain blasted 50 runs from 29 deliveries, including four boundaries and four over-boundaries, before falling with victory in sight. Cooper Connolly contributed 27 from 30 balls, while Matt Renshaw finished unbeaten on 26 off 38 deliveries alongside Marsh’s men to wrap up the dominant win.
Harry Brook’s side suffered another batting collapse reminiscent of their previous winter’s Test match defeat on the same ground, where reckless drive shots triggered a swift two-day downfall. Brook managed just one run before becoming Beardman’s initial scalp, edging behind in the 12th over, while Joe Root marked his 200th ODI appearance by falling for 17 to a mis-timed drive. Left-arm paceman Spencer Johnson claimed 3-42 by removing Ben Duckett for 9, while Xavier Bartlett dismissed Tom Banton for 25 to leave the visitors reeling at 65-8. A ninth-wicket partnership between Will Jacks (25) and number ten Gus Atkinson, who top-scored with an unbeaten 29 off 32 balls featuring the team’s solitary six, helped avoid their all-time lowest score of 86.
Beardman rounded off the innings by dismissing Sam Curran for zero, having Liam Dawson caught at backward point for a duck, and securing his sixth scalp when Jofra Archer (11) was caught by a diving Jack Edwards in the gully. The heavy loss extends a difficult stretch for the visitors, coming shortly after they dropped three out of four matches during
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