How Beardman turned Dennis Lillee's 'no' into a 'yes'

Detailed summary

Dennis Lillee initially turned down the offer to mentor Mahli Beardman, but the rising pace star's persistence eventually wore down the Australian Test great.

Emerging pace star Mahli Beardman has heaped praise on his mentor Dennis Lillee after producing one of the finest debuts ever seen in ODI cricket.

Beardman snared 6-24 to lead Australia to a crushing seven-wicket victory over England in the ODI series opener at Optus Stadium on Friday.

The 21-year-old's figures were the fourth best by a debutant in ODI history, and the fact they came against a full-strength England outfit added even more weight to the display.

After the match, Beardman paid special tribute to the mentoring Lillee has provided him over the years, and even revealed the 77-year-old Test great initially said "no".

Beardman grew up in Cowaramup, a coastal town in Western Australia close to Margaret River.

It was there that winemaker Max Montgomery noted Beardman's explosive speed.

Knowing his mate Rod Duggan was a contact to Lillee, Montgomery tried to get the wheels in motion.

Lillee initially turned down the request to meet up with Beardman, who was in his early teens at the time.

After all, Lillee had a policy of waiting until bowlers were at least 16 until working with them.

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