Mitchell Starcs leg wound is still open. He will require a special knee pad to be able to dive in the field. And he is more than 10 days behind where he would prefer to be in preparation for the first Test of the summer, against South Africa in Perth - the match all Cricket Australias intricate preparatory plans are meant to be geared for.Thats the challenging scenario for the man who has swiftly become Australias most valuable cricketing asset. His pace and swing are capable of unpicking the lock to a South African batting line-up that toyed with Steven Smiths team on the recent ODI tour in Starcs absence.For that reason, there is no question of Starc missing out on a match that will set the tone for the home season, and a series against opponents who will test the resolve of the hosts to perform in familiar climes after humiliations in Sri Lanka and South Africa. The training-inflicted gash to the leg that Starc is still recovering from mirrors the sense that this is an Australian side yet to take complete form after 2015s raft of retirements.Its still open, clean it every day, put a patch on it and away you go, Starc said of his left leg. Its still a little bit opened, so its probably going to take a couple of weeks [to heal]. Its not bleeding, its healing nicely. Its all clean. I think when I started bowling and running again it just sort of stretched the skin a little bit. Its not a bad thing, it needed to stretch anyway. But it probably just delayed the healing a little bit.[Without the injury] I would have obviously played a couple of Matador games and played the full Shield game as well. So Im probably - hard to say, probably a week or week-and-a-half behind where I would have liked to be. Being in a brace for four weeks - I couldnt sweat on the wound, so I couldnt run or do all of the gym sessions I wanted to do. So I was a fair bit behind at the start and tried to catch up at the end.Im still a little bit behind where I would have liked but it hasnt cost me any cricket for Australia so Im ready to go.Echoing the views of the CA chief executive James Sutherland on the need to prioritise some series above others, Starc said he would be prepared to push through pain and even a re-opening of the wound in order to bowl the kinds of spells his captain requires. That being said, it is hard to imagine Starc being used as anything other than a high-speed battering ram in three to five-over spells after the fashion of Mitchell Johnson.Im happy to bowl long spells, its going to be up to Steve, Starc said. Im prepared to play the Test match and perform any role I need to. Obviously thats initially to bowl as fast as I can and try to attack the South Africans. Its not going to be an issue for me to bowl longer spells, its just how Smithy sees my role on the day, and the conditions, the wicket and the other guys in the team.I guess in the longer scheme of things it hasnt been that long a break. Obviously coming off two months of cricket in Sri Lanka - its not like Ive come off six months of nothing. It is a little bit behind, but I was a lot happier with how I finished the Shield game the other night after 19 overs. A couple more days of preparation this week and Ill be ready to go full tilt.While South Africas batting coach Neil McKenzie has had a bit to say about the visitors not fearing any members of the Australian line-up, Starc said he knew there would always be some trepidation among opponents about facing him. Easy for him to say that, sitting behind the desk, Starc quipped. Im happy for him to face me.Hes entitled to his opinions. Its a lot easier making comments like that when you dont have to face anything. He just throws the whanger down at his batsmen and sits back and watches. Look, well all be trying to crank it up. Ill be trying to bowl as fast as I can and Josh can still hit over 140s, Joey [Mennie] bowls a heavier ball than you think and can hurry up a lot of batsmen. He probably bowls a lot quicker than people think.Sidds is coming back into some pace as well. Weve got plenty of firepower. Just because theyve got Dale Steyn - I know hes an outstanding bowler, hes taken 400-plus Test wickets - [but] just because youve got him and [Kagiso] Rabada bowling fast it doesnt mean we dont have anyone to match that.One of the ironies of Starcs current physical impediment is that he may actually be in his best ever shape to play all six Tests, against South Africa and Pakistan, this summer. Until December last year, when he finally submitted to surgery on foot and ankle problems, Starc had suffered from ankle bone spurs. A full season is chief among his goals.Id love to play a whole summer for a change, whether it be through rotation or injury or bad form I havent managed to do that yet, Starc said. So I think I just put that on myself really, to be there for all six Tests and bowling well enough to be selected for all of those Test matches along with the one-day games this summer.I think thats part of it as well - being there for a little bit of time now with Josh. We probably take it on ourselves to - along with Pete coming back into the squad after his back - its probably important for the three of us especially to I guess lead the attack. I think we do that really well together.Theres not really one leader, we just sort of run off the back of each other and have done for a while. Wed all love to play every Test match this summer, along with the Indian series. Without talking too much about it, we probably put that on ourselves.Should Starc play six Tests, Australia will be hard to stop. 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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- As a disappointing season winds down, Michigan State could use a few signs of hope for the future.Freshman Donnie Corley certainly qualifies.Corley has emerged as a two-way contributor for the Spartans, playing both wide receiver and defensive back in his first season at the college level. It may be too late for Michigan State to salvage much from the 2016 season, but Corley looks like someone who could make a major impact at the school in the years to come.Our idea is to make sure that he is thoroughly exhausted at the end of the football game, coach Mark Dantonio said. Thats the plan.Its no huge surprise that Corley has been able to play right away. Both Rivals and Scout listed him as a four-star recruit, and as a senior at Martin Luther King H.S. in Detroit, Corley had 59 receptions and 10 interceptions.The Spartans (3-7, 1-6, Big Ten) needed to replace several key players from last year, and Corley immediately made his presence felt. In Michigan States second game of the season at Notre Dame, he caught four passes for 88 yards, including a leaping touchdown grab that turned out to be one of the highlights of the season for the Spartans.Corley is now third on the team with 27 receptions, and hes been able to help the defensive backfield as well.We recruited Donnie with the idea that he could play both, and we want to make that happen. Hes skilled enough to do that, Dantonio said. Hes a big athletic guy with ball judgment, he can tackle in space.Part of the reason Corley has played on defense is because the Spartans needed help in the secondary, but his ability to juggle multiple roles as a freshman has been impressive.Its been kind of hard. During the game, adjustments they make on the sidelines, I cant really be there, Corley said. IIm over here with the defense while the offense is making adjustments on the sideline.dddddddddddd Things like that, its kind of hard.The Spartans would be delighted if Corley can develop into the type of two-way threat who make a game-changing play at any time -- like rival Michigan has with Jabrill Peppers. With Michigan State set to host No. 2 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1) this weekend, Dantonio talked a bit Tuesday about the way Chris Gamble used to play both ways for the Buckeyes.Dantonio coached Gamble when he was an assistant at Ohio State over a decade ago.He played six games, I think, where he played over 100 plays. So its doable, Dantonio said. But, you know, whether we get to that extent or not will depend on other people and other personnel, recruiting, and how people and players develop and those type of things.Corley is starting down the path toward becoming a dynamic two-way star, and the experience hes gaining as a freshman could pay major dividends as Michigan State tries to rebound from a season in which little has gone right.Coach D always used to tell (me), `You might play both ways, Corley said. But he always told me that offense would probably be the first thing, then once I learned it, he would try and switch it. I didnt really think that I would learn it that fast and that it would happen that fast. I didnt think it would happen in the first year.Game notes Dantonio said injured DL Malik McDowells status remains uncertain this week. He missed last weekends win over Rutgers.---For more college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ' ' '