Australia added 19-year-old Mahli Beardman as a travelling reserve for the 5-match ODI series against England, beginning Thursday in Trent Bridge. A 6ft 2in tall fast bowler, Beardman was the standout performer in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, winning the Player of the Match award in Australia’s victory over India in the final in Benoni.
Beardman is from the crop of young fast bowlers in Australia’s set-up whom the selectors have been monitoring closely. He was recently picked up by Perth Scorchers for the upcoming Big Bash League. He is yet to make his first-class debut and could earn a senior international debut for Australia during its series against England starting on September 19 at Trent Bridge.
Another fresh face added to Australia’s ODI squad is Cooper Connolly after the visitors lost pacers Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Riley Meredith and Spencer Johnson to injury. Left-arm fast-bowling spearhead Mitchell Starc is available for ODIs against England, while Pat Cummins was not selected so he works on his strength and conditioning ahead of an important home summer.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald, in a conversation with SEN, said the injured cricketers are being closely monitored, keeping in mind the five-Test home series against India later this year.
“A lot of our priorities will be geared around that,” Andrew McDonald told SEN last week.
“You’ll see that unfold with the management of our players. We’ll be very pointed around who does what in terms of [Sheffield] Shield cricket coming into the summer to make sure that they are ready for that first Test match,” he added.
Australia ODI squad: Mitch Marsh (captain), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Mahli Beardman (reserve player).
(With Agency Inputs)
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