The New Zealand superstar still has a desire to represent his nation at next year's ODI World Cup but his immediate focus is on helping the Melbourne Stars break their BBL duck
World Cup dreams still burn bright for Boult
He may not be a New Zealand contracted cricketer anymore, but Trent Boult still has eyes on helping deliver Australia's trans-Tasman rivals their first piece of men's World Cup silverware.
Having helped secure New Zealand's first men's global cricket title with five wickets in their victory over India in the inaugural World Test Championship final in 2021, the Black Caps' wait to lift a limited-overs trophy goes on having fallen at the final hurdle of the last two 50-over World Cups and the 2021 T20 edition in the UAE.
They also reached the semi-finals of this year's T20 World Cup in Australia where they lost to Pakistan, with Boult part of all four Black Caps sides that have come agonisingly close to World Cup success.
Despite being released from his New Zealand Cricket central contract in August, the superstar left-armer has played in every series for his country since – bar India's recent tour – playing a starring role with eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.40 in the T20 World Cup.
And while he will miss his first Test match for New Zealand later this month since exiting his central contract when the Black Caps tour Pakistan immediately after Christmas, the 33-year-old says he's still got a big desire to represent his country.
"It's a moving landscape at the moment with what that looks like, but I've definitely (got) huge ambitions to still be there," Boult told reporters on Friday after arriving in Melbourne last night ahead of KFC BBL|12.
"The 2023 World Cup next year in India is a big one that I'd love to be a part of but it's a lot of cricket away."
His immediate focus, however, is helping deliver the Melbourne Stars their first piece of Big Bash silverware during his maiden BBL campaign this summer after being taken by the club with pick No.3 in the draft.
It's a maiden appearance in Australia's domestic T20 competition that may have not even eventuated had it not been for a text message from fellow Stars quick Nathan Coulter-Nile who suggested to his former Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals teammate that he should nominate himself for the inaugural BBL Draft knowing his club had their sights set on the Kiwi swing bowler.
And if he hadn't realised beforehand how much of a star attraction he would be for his first appearance in the Big Bash, it wouldn't have taken Boult long to figure it out after touching down in Melbourne on Thursday night.
Hoping to grab a quiet bite to eat at Grill'd near his hotel in South Yarra, it didn't take him long to be recognised by half a dozen or so Uber drivers and cricket fanatics even sporting Black Caps shorts desperate for a selfie with the New Zealand veteran.
"The immediate future is obviously to focus on the Big Bash and I'm in the International (League) T20 in Dubai in a couple of weeks as well and I'm just really excited to be here," said Boult.
"I've played a lot of international cricket and I've got the opportunity to move into some franchise stuff now.
"Your lifespan or career span can only go so far and I feel like I've worked hard to do the things that I have done in international cricket and I just want to make the most of probably the later years of my career and come here and see what I can do.
"My kids are coming over next week to see dad in a different role and I think the Big Bash is always an exciting tournament to watch so it's going to be great to get along alongside a couple of guys that I'm normally playing international cricket against."
Boult's BBL showdown with New Zealand teammate Martin Guptill and Australian T20 skipper Aaron Finch looms as one of the most mouth-watering matches of the tournament, when the Stars take on the Renegades in the Melbourne derby at the MCG on January 3.
That matchup pits Boult, who has taken the most Powerplay wickets in men's ODIs with 81, against Guptill, New Zealand's all-time leading run-scorer in T20 internationals, and Finch, Australia's all-time leading run-scorer in T20 internationals.
"I'm definitely here for that one," said Boult, who will play the Stars first eight matches before leaving for the ILT20 in the UAE.
"I'm looking forward to that exchange and it's a local derby, so hopefully there's a big crowd at the MCG.
"A couple of texts have already slipped between me and Gup (Guptill) and we'll see what happens."