Australia's bowling coach Craig McDermott has revealed Mitchell Starc's foot injury isn't as bad as first feared and hopes the left-arm pacer will play on Australia's tour of New Zealand.
Such a quick return could see Starc play in the Chappell-Hadlee ODI series in New Zealand before the return two Test series, but crucially also be available for the World T20 as Australia chases the only global trophy to elude them.
McDermott told ABC Grandstand that Starc would not require surgery at this stage and will start his rehab before the New Year.
"The good news for us it's not going to be as long as we thought, he's in a boot for three weeks and we'll start working from there," McDermott said before day three in Adelaide.
"Hopefully we can get him up for the New Zealand series and the World T20 where he's ranked No.1 in the world and be very important for us, in both series really.
"It's only a rest period at the moment so his heel impingement (surgery) may come at some other later time we'll have to wait and see.
"That's a time thing to see how long we can keep it at bay, more than anything else."
McDermott said a heel impingement may have caused the stress fracture in his right foot that ruled him out of any further bowling in the historic day-night Test after the first day, and added the 25-year-old has been battling injury since the Ashes series.
Despite the injury issues, Starc has taken his awesome white-ball form, where he is the No.1 ranked bowler, into the Test format this summer, claiming 13 wickets in five innings at 23.23, striking ever 41.4 deliveries.
"The last 12 months he's done a wonderful job.
“His bowling has improved every game and his stature as bowler is growing in world cricket, now on the Test match side of it which is great to see," McDermott said.
McDermott said he expected Victorian speedster James Pattinson would be the first-choice replacement for Starc for Australia's Test series against the West Indies and also nominated his preferred next-in-line high-velocity bowler to make Australia's Test squad.
"He (Pattinson) was pretty close to playing here I would have thought," added McDermott, who is not part of Australia's National Selection Panel.
"So with him back we've got our three quicks and Mitchell Marsh.
Image: Mitchell Starc seen on crutches after stumps on Day 1 of Adelaide Test.
Photograph: Cricket Australia
