Beardman: 'I'm ready to go out and play some good cricket again'

With his name starting to be floated as a Test prospect, exciting young quick Mahli Beardman has pumped the brakes just a little, having conceded that he's unclear when he'll make his first-class debut.

While talk of Beardman, 21, being a successor to Australia's ageing Test quicks might be premature, his precocious skills and considerable pace will be on full display on Saturday when Western Australia take on England, who start their white-ball tour at the WACA.

The one-dayer looms as an audition for Beardman, who is hoping to make his ODI debut in front of his home fans when Australia play England in the series-opener at Optus Stadium on November 13.

"The selection is well above my head, so if that opportunity arrives, I'll try and grab it with both hands," Beardman told reporters on Thursday. "I feel like I'm ready to go out and play some good cricket again."

Underlining the hype swirling around him, Beardman is quite clearly an emerging player on the radar of the national selectors. Perhaps his most memorable performance of his fledgling career was when he roughed up and ultimately out-duelled Steven Smith during last season's BBL finals in an absorbing contest between generations.

Beardman has been around Australia's squads over the past two years, with his sole international being a T20I in Pakistan earlier this year. His eye-catching performance was marked by dismissing Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi in consecutive deliveries at the death to finish with 2 for 33 off four overs.

But he suffered a recurrence of a stress fracture in his lower back after that game, an injury that ended his season.

"The timing of it was pretty rough," Beardman said, "I feel like I was feeling quite nice at the back of the Big Bash. It was just one of those things... I think it's understanding my body as I'm growing and developing.

"It was extremely frustrating, but I'm super fortunate to be able to come back. Spent a good four or five months in the gym and built my body up."

The injury not only robbed Beardman of more exposure at the international level, but also of a much-anticipated debut in the Sheffield Shield. While some wide-eyed pundits are starting to push his Test case, Beardman is likely to slowly step into red-ball cricket as his body matures.

"It can be tough not to see things or read into stuff," Beardman said of the attention. "Whether that's for WA or Australia, whatever it is, I think it's just getting through each game and trying to build momentum off that.

"It's [red-ball cricket] still at the forefront of my mind. It's just prioritising getting back, playing cricket first, proving my fitness and that my body can handle it.

"It's a tough one to plan [Shield cricket]. It's just a game-by-game thing at the moment. There hasn't been a set date, so I'm actually not too sure as to when that is. It's just to prove after each game that I'm getting through ok, that I'm not reporting any symptoms or soreness."

Beardman's return to the field has been mixed so far, but he did decimate a strong India A line-up with his pace on Australia A's recent tour. He showed off his intoxicating bag of tricks, which includes regularly hitting speeds in the mid-140 kph range, swinging the new ball and he also has a nasty bouncer in his armoury.

"I think the goal is as high as I can go," Beardman said about his pace. "I don't think there's a number. I still feel like I've got a decent way to go."

While his attacking prowess is undeniable, Beardman has been working on developing his defensive skills in an effort to become a better all-round quick.

"I think there are times where you're going to be ahead of the curve and there's going to be times where you're behind," he said. "So I think in T20 cricket or white-ball cricket, especially, that's something that you have to be ready for. That's definitely something that we've worked on, and I feel like we're ready for."

Beardman, who has long been mentored by Dennis Lillee, will get a chance to make his mark very early in the Australian season when he unleashes against England at the revamped WACA set to boast a lively crowd of 4500 to rekindle fond memories of the famous ground.

"I think it's just an awesome hit out. I think it's a great chance to really get some insight into their top order and how they play," Beardman said. "It's an opportunity to get a look at them earlier than the rest of the squad and pass some information on."