With bone protruding from his skin, his finger at a right angle and looking like a bloody mess, Jono Dean's chances of being right for the start of the Big Bash were slim at best.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the ACT Comets batsman says he got lucky only to have a compound dislocation and is prepared to play through pain for the Adelaide Strikers.
Dean could be back at the crease as soon as two weeks to leave him touch and go for the Strikers' opening game of the BBL on December 18.
Dean had surgery on Monday and was relieved the damage wasn't as bad as first thought.
"I wasn't a very happy man on that Friday night," Dean said.
"I was quite shattered to be honest. Looking at the injury, it looked pretty sick, bone hanging out and blood coming out from the finger. It wasn't a pretty sight. Once I got the X-rays and was told there was no broken bone, that sort of eased my mind."
Dean was fielding in the 18th over when he went to make a regulation stop in the covers.
"I was starting to think about how many runs I was going to need to score and went to dive to stop one and must have just caught the end of the finger," Dean said.
"Heard a pop, picked the ball up and had a look at my finger.
"I thought, 'That's not quite supposed to be there' and went straight off the field, grabbed my wallet, keys and phone and said, 'Someone has to take me to the hospital'.
"Luckily one of my mates, Adam Heading, was coaching Queanbeyan that night, so I jumped in the car with him and he took me to hospital."
Dean is preparing for his third BBL season with the Strikers and will fly to Adelaide on December 11 to link up with the team.
"I'm hoping two to three weeks max hopefully," Dean said.
"Just got to get this cast off in a couple days and have a look at the finger and let the wound heal up and once that's done I'll be right to resume all the duties.
"I might have to play through a bit of pain, but I'll just have to deal with it."
Dean was in wonderful form before the injury, scoring two centuries for the Comets in their opening two Futures League games.
"I'm feeling really good playing some really quality cricket in preparation for this BBL, which is a bit different to last year," Dean said.
"I don't think it will halt me.
"I'm still pretty good about my game and where I'm at and the way I'm batting at the moment.
"I'll be ready to go."
