Sydney, Dec 15 : Injured Australian fast bowler Stuart Clark can learn from the experiences of former state and national teammate Stuart MacGill as he faces the prospect of elbow surgery that may bring his career to an end.

MacGill twice went under the knife to have bone spurs removed from his bowling elbow and returned to international competition on both occasions, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Like Clark, MacGill was well into his 30s at the time of the operations and determined to force his way back into the Test squad.

That the two bowlers perform different duties is largely irrelevant. Elbow impingements are generally a result of outfield throwing but degenerate over time to affect the bowling action.

"If it's just a straight matter of bone spurs, and there are no nerves involved. It's one of those scenarios where you feel better the moment you come out of surgery. I was bowling in four weeks and competing in six," MacGill said.

"For me, it started out as a dull, constant soreness, but it developed into a more shooting kind of pain. When it was put under stress, like after a bowling session, there was also a fair amount of swelling, which didn't help," he added.

Clark is not the only member of the Australian Test side with bone spurs in his elbow, but he is the only fast bowler.

Team sources suggested the 33-year-old paceman may well have been able to play the Perth Test after a few days of training and treatment, but given he has experienced intermittent pain for more than four months, it was decided he would be better served by withdrawing from the squad and seeking medical advice. (ANI)