Mahli Beardman’s bright start in international cricket has stalled, the 20-year-old Western Australian quick diagnosed with another stress fracture in his lower back after pulling up sore during the warm-ups for the second T20I in Multan.
The right-armer, fresh from a breakout Big Bash campaign and a promising debut in Lahore on 29 January – 2 for 33 in a 22-run defeat – felt “a familiar twinge”, according to team medical staff. Caution ruled: Beardman sat out the remaining two matches, flew home, and underwent scans in Perth late last week. Those tests confirmed the same injury that curtailed the start of his domestic season in 2025-26.
“It’s frustrating, no question,” Beardman told WA Cricket’s digital team before the results were made public. “I’d felt great through the Big Bash, so to go backwards is hard to swallow, but I’ve got to be patient.”
Patience is something Australian selectors are already preaching. Chair of selectors George Bailey said in December, “Mahli’s ceiling is high; we’ll look after him.” That philosophy will be tested again, with medical staff signalling a rehabilitation block “longer and more cautious than the last”.
BBL form had kicked the door open
Beardman’s surge began with Perth Scorchers’ title run. A match-winning spell in the qualifier included the prized wicket of Steven Smith; figures of 2 for 29 in the final underlined his big-game temperament. Those efforts fast-tracked a first international call-up and, had things gone to plan, a possible first-class debut for Western Australia in the back half of the Shield season.
Selectors had also pencilled him in for white-ball tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh in June, after the IPL. All now shelved.
Growing queue in the treatment room
The setback adds to Australia’s uncomfortable list of lumbar stress injuries among quicks:
• Pat Cummins – Test and ODI captain unavailable for the T20 World Cup.
• Lance Morris – Beardman’s WA team-mate, recovering from back surgery.
• Cameron Green – endured a similar procedure last year.
• Callum Vidler – Under-19 World Cup partner, yet to bowl this season.
• Spencer Johnson – out since the 2025 IPL with the same complaint.
Fast bowling coach Daniel Vettori noted recently, “It’s a brutal workload; managing spikes in overs is the challenge. We’re learning on the run.”
Other ailments persist. Josh Hazlewood’s summer ended early with hamstring and Achilles issues; Brendan Doggett left the SCG on crutches on Sunday after another hamstring strain. The conveyor belt of talent is healthy, yet the repair queue keeps lengthening.
What next for Beardman?
For now, the plan mirrors last winter’s: rest, monitored strengthening and a gradual return to bowling. Cricket Australia’s medical unit will likely extend the timeline to minimise a third occurrence. Best-case estimates suggest a return for the opening rounds of next season’s domestic competitions, but no one is pinning dates to calendars yet.
Western Australia coach Adam Voges struck a balanced note. “We’ll miss his pace, obviously, but the priority is his long-term career. Mahli’s got a lot of cricket ahead of him once he’s right.”
There is also sympathy in the wider group. Senior Scorchers seamer Jason Behrendorff – himself no stranger to back trouble – offered simple advice earlier in the summer: “Listen to your body and don’t rush. The game will still be there.”
It is exactly the mantra Beardman must adopt again. The talent is undeniable; the timeline, regrettably, stretches further into the distance.
