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Trent Boult says he's ready to return from injury in the Boxing Day Test, but the Kiwi quick looks unlikely to rely on the short ball at the MCG.

New Zealand's premier paceman Trent Boult is feeling fit and confident ahead of the Boxing Day Test and won't rely on the short-pitched bowling that worked for his team-mates in Perth.

Boult was badly missed by the tourists in the first Test loss, sidelined by a rib muscle injury suffered against England.

He is set to return for the clash at the MCG, adding considerably to the Black Caps' pace armoury.

The left-arm quick has taken 255 Test scalps, including 17 in Australian conditions, the latter placing him sixth on the all-time Kiwi list.

His average in Australia of 33.5 per wicket is bettered only by the great Richard Hadlee and Doug Bracewell among New Zealand's most successful bowlers.

New Zealand got plenty of joy from Neil Wagner and Tim Southee's use of bouncers in Perth but Boult has reaped most his success in a nine-year career through sideways movement.

He said he won't be part of any short-pitched barrage and cast doubt over whether New Zealand will resort to the tactic.

"I think we're probably expecting something definitely different in terms of the wicket here, from how it's played over the last few years," Boult told reporters on Monday.

"But I don't know - that's (bowling short is) probably going to be something that's just going to be talked about out there.

"But from my point of view, I'm going to be looking to pitch the ball up, swing it around and hopefully get some wickets that way - but we'll see what happens."

Boult lined up for Victoria against his New Zealand teammates in a practice match on Sunday and said the overs had been important for his "rhythm and loading' ahead of his return.

"It was good fun, nice to get some overs under my belt and I suppose field for a bit and get a bit of time in the legs," Boult said.

"It's all going well - I feel like I've ticked the right boxes in terms of my rehab and my preparations and (I'm) just looking forward to getting out there."

Boult, who has a good recent record against Steve Smith, emphasised the importance of breaking down Australia's top order in Melbourne - and said he'd "love" to see a lively MCG pitch.

"As a bowling attack we know what we need to do to try and get some early wickets and put some pressure on their middle order," Boult said.

"But that's just going to be one of those things, to see how the wicket reacts and we know our plans well."