Boxing Day test at MCG: Cricket start time, weather for Black Caps v Australia

Trent Boult will bolster the Black Caps' bowling attack, while Tom Blundell will make his first test appearance in over two years in the side's two changes for the must-win Boxing Day test against Australia at the MCG.

The test starts at 12.30pm New Zealand time - and you can follow live coverage here at nzherald.co.nz or listen to live commentary on Radio Sport or through the iHeart app.

The weather forecast for Melbourne today is fine - partly cloudy with a high of 22C.

Black Caps captain Kane Williamson confirmed on Wednesday that Boult has recovered from the rib injury that kept him sidelined for the first test in Perth, which the Aussies won by 296 runs.

Blundell replaces the struggling Jeet Raval at the top of the order after the left-hander was dismissed for one in both innings in Perth – continuing a dismal run which saw him average 7.3 in his last nine test innings.

The 29-year-old wicketkeeper played the last of his two tests against the West Indies in late 2017.

Black Caps head coach Gary Stead resisted the urge to make even more changes, as spinner Mitchell Santner was retained despite going wicketless at Optus Stadium.

Trent Boult bowling in a warm-up match ahead of the Boxing Day test against Australia. Photo / Photosport

Question marks still linger on what the Black Caps bowlers can expect from the MCG pitch. Usually a batsman-friendly deck, the pitch caused controversy earlier this month when a Sheffield Shield game was called off due to player safety fears.

Head curator Matt Page said the groundstaff had learned from that mistake, and predicted that a wicket would be produced that had less pace and bounce than the one in Perth, but should offer more seam movement.

For Boult, those would be excellent conditions to make his return in.

"From my point of view I'd love to see that happen, but it looks like we're entering an unknown in a slight way with how the wicket is going to react. We're just looking for a solid wicket and a test match that is going to go the distance.

"I'm hoping to pitch the ball up, swing it around, and hopefully take a few wickets that way, but we'll see what happens."