Mahli Beardman eyes ODI debut against England after injury setbacks

Western Australia paceman Mahli Beardman is hoping to make his ODI debut when Australia face England in the series opener in Perth on Nov. 13, Cricket Australia said in a statement.

The three-match ODI series will be followed by five T20s against England, with the first T20 on Nov. 21 at the MCG.

Pace trio Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have been rested from the white-ball matches, which gives Beardman more chances to impress.

The 21-year-old has already played international cricket, taking 2-33 on his T20 debut for Australia against Pakistan in Lahore in January.

He later experienced back soreness during the warm-up for the second game, and scans showed a recurrence of the stress fractures he had dealt with last year.

Beardman has since recovered and is set to play for Western Australia in a 50-over tour match against England at the WACA on Saturday.

"I spent a good four or five months at the gym building my body up and I feel like I'm in a pretty good space now," he said.

Beardman said he is currently bowling in the mid-140s km/h and has set no limit on the pace he could reach in his career.

"The goal is as high as I can go. I don't think there's a number," Beardman said.

He said he hopes to add more pace over time and reach around 150km/h as his career progresses.

Beardman learned of his possible call-up to the ODI and T20 squads when he received an email about a clothing order for the matches.

He has yet to make his Sheffield Shield debut because of his earlier back issues, and Test cricket remains his long-term goal.

"It's just a game-by-game thing at the moment," Beardman said, adding that there has not been a set date for his first-class debut.

Fast bowler Lance Morris is also set to return in the WACA match after about 18 months out with injury, and Beardman described his comeback as a major boost for the team.

"He's gone through hell and back," Beardman said of the 28-year-old.