Cricket: Boult unleashed in Cadets cap?

New Zealand paceman Trent Boult is hopeful his name will be called out when the squad to play two one-day internationals against South Africa at Bay Oval is announced. PHOTO/ SNPA/ROSS SETFORD

It is yet to be confirmed, but Element IMF Otumoetai Cadets' gain may just prove to be Whakatane United's nightmare.

Black Caps paceman Trent Boult, currently ranked just outside the top 10 test bowlers in the world, has the weekend off from the national set-up and might just be steaming in on a Fergusson Park artificial track on Saturday.

"I've got this weekend off anyway, so we might see me running around with the Cadets cap on the head," Boult said ahead of flying out for today's ICC World Cup launch in Melbourne.

"I think we've got Whakatane this weekend. Obviously we've got a pretty busy schedule so I have to be smart with where I can get rest and when I can play, so we'll see what happens."

The left-armer is unlikely to show any such mercy should he be picked for a pair of one day internationals at Bay Oval against the vaunted South Africans beginning October 21.

"Obviously I'd love to be in that selection to run in at the Bay Oval.

"It would be something pretty cool and as a kid I always wanted to play at my home ground in front of my family and friends, so it's great the Bay Oval is coming along and it looks like it's going to turn into something great.

"It started off a bit slow because it's a new settling block, but Jared there has done an phenomenal job with how far it's come."

A number of the leading Northern Knights players who performed well at the recent Champions League in India are busy making the transition between the two short forms of the limited overs games before shifting to test mode in the coming months.

Boult said that was the reality of modern cricket and that players were becoming more adept at making the transition.

"There's so much cricket being played and so many formats that the best players are the ones who can adapt quickly and change those things.

"I'm still learning, don't get me wrong ... you've got to be quick and that's the exciting part.

"My passion lies with test cricket. There's no better feeling than grafting away for five days and then walking off the park with a win ... I've grown up wanting to play test cricket for New Zealand and putting that black baggy hat on.

"But there's a big focus on this white ball cricket coming up and having a world cup in your own backyard is not something I can see coming around very often."

He expressed disappointment in the alleged match-fixing scandal revolving around Chris Cairns, saying the ICC was now very vigilant in educating players about the ways in which players can be approached.

"I haven't really been following it with too much interest. I try to stay clear of it until things are finalised I guess, but it's a bit of a shame isn't it?"