Injured paceman Mitchell Starc could 'see the bone' in his leg following a training mishap two weeks ago, but says he'll be fit for the Australian international summer.
Starc received 30 stitches to a gash in his left leg after running into a set of stumps during a fielding drill at a windy Hurstville Oval in Sydney.
The 26-year-old quick was trying to catch a high ball when he slid into the metal base of nearby stumps set up for throwdowns.
"Unfortunately, it was a training accident that should have been avoided," he told the cricket.com.au website.
"I looked down and there's a big hole in the pants, (I) saw a flap of skin and threw my hand on it to try and stop anything that was going on.
"Then the pain started to get a lot stronger and kept hitting me and I thought something might be a bit worse.
"You (could) see a couple of bones. I didn't want to look at it at all. They (doctors) numbed it pretty quickly so I couldn't feel too much."
Shocked skipper Steve Smith described the deep cut as "probably one of the most gruesome things I've ever seen".
Starc remains in a leg brace but has returned to gym work and is hoping to play in NSW's opening Sheffield Shield match against Queensland on October 25 under lights at the Gabba.
It could be the quick's only hit-out ahead of Australia's three-Test series against South Africa starting on November 3 in Perth.
Starc, Australia's No.1 bowler, said his knee was fine but revealed the stump came perilously close to rupturing his patella tendon.
"When they were cleaning up the wound, the nurse actually said 'there's your patella tendon - there's no nicks in it'.
"It's a weird feeling being in a knee brace, not being able to bend my leg, (but) knowing that my knee is OK. It's just to keep the flaps of skin on there to heal properly."
