Aussie bowler Stanlake feared he'd lose a toe through infection

The Adelaide Strikers seamer was hospitalised and had to have surgery

Australian fast bowler Billy Stanlake has explained how he came close to losing his big toe after a cut became infected.

Stanlake, who is preparing for the Big Bash with Adelaide Strikers, was hospitalised and required surgery after the scrape on his landing foot turned into something much worse.

And he has revealed he had concerns that he might end up with the toe being amputated.

"It just started off as an open wound on the top of my toe purely from bowling," Stanlake told cricket.com.au.

"It gradually got worse and worse. After the first game of club cricket back home, I woke up the next day and it was quite bad. 

"I couldn't walk on it, it got pretty serious. I was in hospital for four days and needed surgery.

"It ended up being quite serious. I don't think I was that far off losing it.

"I think if it (the infection) had gotten into the bone or the tendons, I might have been in some serious trouble.

"It was red, it was cut up, it was bloody, there was puss, a bit of yellow."

Stanlake, who made his Australia one-day and T20 international debuts this year after an impressive BBL06, is his country's tallest ever player at over two metres.

He is now back from injury and ready to take on Sydney Thunder in the Strikers' first Big Bash outing of the season next week.