Stuart Clark is hoping to make a return to cricket in as little as two weeks in a bid to prove his fitness ahead of this summer's Ashes series.
The NSW speedster has not played since tearing his quadriceps in a grade game a fortnight ago and was told by medical staff that he faced a six-week layoff.
As a result, Clark missed Australia's one-day tour of India for the Champions Trophy and would be forced to rely on just a three-day tour game against England to stake a claim for the national test side.
However, the 31-year-old said he has responded well to treatment and hopes to return to the NSW squad for its Pura Cup match against Queensland on October 27.
"It's very good news for me and I'm really looking forward to playing cricket again," he told The Australian.
If fit, Clark would be one of the leading candidates to fill the role of Australia's third pace bowler behind Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee for the first Test in Brisbane.
However, he faces stiff competition from team-mate Nathan Bracken who is in India with the national one-day team and getting valuable match time under his belt. Bracken has had previous success at the Gabba, but players such as Queensland's Mitchell Johnson or Shaun Tait of South Australia will also be fighting for the spot.
"I'd love to play. I think you'd be mad not to want to play," Clark said.
"I have, obviously, to be fit and I'd be silly to try and be picked without having a game. I think, if I get some cricket in and I get through unscathed and I'm bowling well, then hopefully they pick me and away we go."
Clark's last outing for Australia was one to forget as the West Indies took to his bowling.
The Windies plundered 87 runs from Clark's seven overs and he didn't even manage to take a consolation wicket.
"I think a few of us were a bit rusty and it just took time to get back into it," he said.
"Over a period of time through training and practice and everything that goes with it, I started to come back to the point where I was starting to get in to a nice rhythm. Then I hurt myself and everything got put back a couple of weeks."
