New Zealand's cricket selectors may be taking the first step on a most significant road today with their selection of Otago tyro Brendon McCullum to open the batting against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

McCullum, the bolter in the selection for the VB Series, has little of the usual requirements of form and experience that are usually demanded by selectors before players make the step up to international level.

But McCullum, a product of the New Zealand Cricket Academy last year, and a player well schooled in the basics of the game before his attendance at that finishing school, is, by New Zealand standards, a prodigious talent.

He has cricket in his blood, his father Stu being a diminutive but hard-hitting opener for Otago in the mould developed further by his son, and what better place to test the blood under fire than at one of the world's great venues, the Sydney Cricket Ground.

McCullum is following in the footsteps of other largely untried tyros in Martin Crowe and Ken Rutherford. Both had their moments before advancing significantly in their careers. Then again, in the more modern era he could be said to be following the more planned elevation of players that occurred with Daniel Vettori and Craig McMillan, and they have proven significant choices.

New Zealanders in the know have been aware of McCullum's emergence through the grades and his complete domination of last year's youth series against South Africa was more evidence of the acceleration in his career path.

Now, with New Zealand still looking desperately to address the problems surrounding the opening batting positions in both Test and one-day play, they may have the answer.

It may be that McCullum does not fire immediately. It may equally be the case that his preparedness for this task takes everyone by surprise.

But there is little doubt that he has a big role to play in New Zealand's cricketing future and today represents a very exciting step on that path.

His place is at the expense of Scott Styris. With the realisation that New Zealand needed more batting depth after the disappointments of the top order batting in the first two VB matches, it was obvious Styris was on borrowed time.

It is a further indication of the faith the selectors have shown in McCullum that he was their first port of call instead of Dion Nash.

The bowling options appear well enough covered for the moment and it is runs that are traditionally behind the winning of the VB Series, and it is runs New Zealand need now, against England and next year in the World Cup.

McCullum, and New Zealand, have everything to play for. For once it is Australia that is feeling some pressure having gone without a win in its first two games. It plays today without one of its key players in Adam Gilchrist and that is another factor New Zealand will be looking to exploit.

Given the propensity for Australians to play the pressure game when the chips are down, it can be expected they will target Shane Bond when he is bowling. They will see him as still new to the ODI scene and they will be looking for Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting especially, to get after him.

It will be a good test for the way New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming handles his new pace weapon, and just another fascinating battle in what is shaping as an outstanding tri-series.

© CricInfo