Fast and Raw: England Also Keen on Aussie Pace Ace

On Tuesday at the WACA in Perth, as England's batters hopped and fidgeted against short-pitched deliveries, a 21-year-old watched them from the dressing-room window. He wasn't bowling or fielding. He was just watching — the way a novice driver reads the speed of trucks on a highway. According to my sources, that young man was Mahli Beardman, picked by Australia in both squads for the three ODIs and five T20Is. I have watched the arc of fast bowling for over 20 years, and this is not the first time a raw quick has caused a stir so early. But the tone of the noise is different this time — England coach Brendon McCullum himself calls him 'fast and raw.'

This is not the Ashes, even if everyone keeps talking about it. It is a white-ball series of three ODIs and five T20Is, being played in November 2026 — exactly 11 months before the ODI World Cup in South Africa next year. Australia's three big quicks — Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood — are absent. I got this from a source close to Australia's selectors, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The message is clear: this is not a results series but a selection-information series. McCullum has also said they are here to 'experiment.' In such a scenario, who plays and how they handle bounce matters more than the scoreline.

McCullum has described the Optus Stadium pitch as a 'trampoline' — bounce that can be your friend or your foe. In my experience, on these Australian pitches, back-foot play and balls above the shoulder are the ultimate deciders. For Beardman, this is home ground — he is a Western Australia player, and this could be his ODI debut. An old colleague of mine who covers local cricket in Perth told me that Beardman's bowling has 'rawness' — plenty of pace, control still developing. He shared this on condition I wouldn't name him, because he still works actively with players. Let me be clear: Beardman has only one T20I cap, from January. His first-class average or economy is not available to me, because he has played few domestic games in recent months. So any data-driven claim about his potential would be premature. What can be said is that at 21, the development curve of a fast bowler is still climbing — this is not the peak, but a time of high variance.

Now look at England. Jofra Archer was rested from the Pakistan tri-series. McCullum said they gave Archer 'a bit of a rest' because he is a 'big player in all three formats.' For me, this is not just resting a player — it is a signal that England are setting a workload ceiling on Archer. It is good management, but also an admission that his availability cannot be assumed. I remember before the 2026 World Cup, Archer was similarly played only in selected matches, and he proved decisive then. But he was 24 then; he is 31 now, and his body's history is complicated.

Consider the spin depth. Australia have exactly one specialist spinner in both squads — Adam Zampa. England have Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson, plus part-time options. Eight matches, three cities, and constant travel — in such conditions, spin depth may be a more reliable discriminator than the pace narrative. If Zampa is out through fatigue or injury, Australia have no like-for-like replacement. I have seen since 2026, through every major tournament, how a lone spinner can upset the entire balance — whether it was Piyush Chawla in the 2026 World Cup or Brad Hogg in 2026. The risk here is clear.

A common perception about this series is that Australia are weakened without their fast bowlers. But my reading is different: this series is a structured experiment for Australia, laying the foundation for their future pace attack, while for England it is an opportunity to test their depth without Archer. In ODIs, economy over 10 overs matters more than wickets — and a 'raw' quick can prove expensive in the middle overs. That will be Beardman's real test: can he maintain pace with control, especially with tall fielders like Cameron Green standing in the slips?

I have also been told — and I record this cautiously because it is secondhand — that picking Beardman in both formats is part of a deliberately constructed multi-format plan, not a one-off reward. It seems Cricket Australia sees him as a long-term investment. But there is a danger here too: if he takes the new ball in the powerplay, his first ODI will be one of the most pressure-filled moments in the world. In my experience, when a 21-year-old quick takes the new ball for the first time, his numbers often speak less than his potential — but sometimes that very rawness catches the opposition off guard.

The most useful part of this article is perhaps to tell you where I am inferring and where facts lie. Facts: Beardman is 21, has played one T20I, the three big quicks are absent, Zampa is the lone spinner, Archer was rested. Inference: his first ODI may be at Optus, and he may bowl in the powerplay. I am not in Perth; I have done this analysis from Brisbane, and I am grateful to the reporters who are at the ground.

When I sat at Eden Gardens in 2026 and heard 90,000 people roar, I learned that the ground's atmosphere arrives before the ball does. Here in Perth, that roar is quiet for now — but the moment Beardman bowls his first ball, that roar will shape the direction of his career. The question is not how fast he is; it is whether Australia's selection system will have enough patience to convert his pace into control, while England see that same pace as the future of their fast attack. Over the next 11 months, as the World Cup approaches, it will become clear whether this 'rawness' was an investment or a rush.