McCullum elevated to number five for Kiwis

By John Mehaffey

LONDON (Reuters) - Wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, New Zealand's most dynamic batsman, has been elevated to number five in the batting order for the first test against England at Lord's starting on Thursday.

McCullum has been a sensation as an opener in one-day and Twenty20 cricket, moving down the pitch to the pace bowlers to flay the ball with a mixture of the orthodox and the outlandish.

"We have to acknowledge he is one of our best batsmen, he's always down at seven," New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori told a news conference on Wednesday.

"He can still do a job as one of the best keepers in the world and now we are giving him a chance to be one of the best middle-order batsmen in the world. I think five is a nice balance because he's such an aggressive player."

McCullum scored 96 at number three in the second innings of the Lord's test four years ago when the New Zealand order was reshuffled after Nathan Astle fell sick. Since then he has been the regular number seven between Jacob Oram and Vettori.

New Zealand squandered a 1-0 series lead at home this year against England, losing the final two matches of the series mainly through the frailties of their upper-order batting.

PROMISING START

They have made a good start to their short England tour with number three James Marshall scoring a century in the win over Essex while opener Aaron Redmond scored 146 and 64 in the draw with the English Lions.