KEY POINTS:
Stephen Fleming needs no introduction to the complexities involved in trying to win Australia's annual tri-series.
He was there in 1997-98 when wins against South Africa and Australia book-ended six consecutive losses and early elimination, and he was back in 2001-02 when New Zealand achieved the unthinkable and knocked out the hosts.
The world's longest-serving one-day international skipper enjoys the challenge of competing in the world champions' backyard and has claimed his share of success, particularly after helping to bring down Steve Waugh's mob five years ago.
On that occasion, Fleming's strategic planning - which included using about three gullies to the slash-happy Damien Martyn, and using Shane Bond's pace to good effect against the ageing Waugh - paid a handsome dividend in the shape of a finals berth.
Unfortunately, the New Zealanders seemed to have run their race by the time they started the finals against Shaun Pollock's South Africans, and were bundled out of the competition in straight sets; the fifth occasion in which they'd ended as runners-up.
Fleming, who has begun his tenth year as New Zealand skipper, said be believed the trick to touring Australia was to stay positive and embrace the experience as much as possible, despite the inevitable pressure and intensity.
Australia, he reckoned, was as much a learning ground as a chance to pit one's skills and experience against the best in the world, and whoever else might be in the country - in this case England.
"The challenge is going to be to enjoy it," he said.
"Australia's a country that loves its cricket and, following on from the Ashes series, it's going to be a great time to play one-day cricket.
"It's a good series in place with a lot of English support already over there, which usually means more support for New Zealand.
"It doesn't come much harder than trying to beat Australia in their own backyard."
In fact, if Fleming was to be pressed, he'd probably concede that it doesn't come much harder than trying to beat Australia anywhere. In New Zealand's most recent 18 outings against the Neighbours, only two haven't ended in tears.
Since those heady tri-series days in 2002, when New Zealand embarrassed Australia on three consecutive occasions, Fleming's teams have been able to upset calculations only in the inaugural Chappell-Hadlee match at Melbourne in 2004, and in the final match of the same series, in 2005.
Asked if Australia might be a bit flat after the high of the Ashes series, he said he wasn't going to start counting his chickens.
"I don't think you can consider that," he said. "I'd rather hope that we're due for a good day, than hope Australia will have a bad day.
"If you do and you beat them well, that's great. But I'd rather do it through creating pressure and playing well ourselves, than by hoping they become complacent."
Fleming also promised to be watching closely when the Australian selectors name their respective line-ups, in order to gauge whether the Australian public have as much difficulty with the rotation concept as the New Zealand cricketing public.
"I'll be interested to see what they do with their rotation policy; whether they rest guys, and the way that goes down in Australia. I know they've done it in the past and it hasn't caused much reaction because it's created opportunities.
"But whether they play their supposed strongest eleven throughout I'd be very surprised, with the amount of cricket they've got coming up."
Asked to assess Australia's one-day squad, Fleming said the combination was inevitably powerful, full of role players in every position, and would prove a handful for both New Zealand and England no matter what the playing eleven on any one day.
If he had to single anything out, it would be Australia's lack of quality spin bowling options, and the unavailability of all-rounder Shane Watson.
"Maybe spin? That hasn't always been evident in their one-day game," said Fleming. "[Andrew] Symonds and [Brad] Hogg do an adequate job but when you look around, most of the top teams have a spin component like we do with Daniel Vettori.
"And maybe without Watson, Australia haven't quite got the all-rounder they were hoping for, although I'd have to say it still looks pretty well balanced. They're a side who've performed under pressure. There's not too many chinks in their armour."
As for England, Fleming said he was wary of a touring side who were coming off such a dreadful towelling as the Ashes.
New Zealand have beaten England in seven of their past nine contests, and will be anxious to inflict as much damage as possible in the upcoming series, ahead of their World Cup first-round clash at St Lucia.
England have made hard work of their recent ODI programme, winning just seven of their past 26 games, including a match against Ireland, while missing out on the final four for the Champions Trophy tournament.
"In terms of their one-day game they'll be looking to improve and build on their performances in India," Fleming said.
"Sometimes when you get thumped in one form of the game your focus switches pretty quickly to getting it right in the other, so they'll be dangerous. It's just about how they start and what sort of confidence they develop.
"They'll get their skipper [Michael Vaughan] back and that'll make a big difference, and they've got players such as Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, who can definitely turn a one-day game on its head.
"So they'll certainly be a threat, which is why I think it'll be a competition of good quality."
The Lineups
New Zealand
Stephen Fleming (c), Brendon McCullum, Nathan Astle, Ross Taylor, Peter Fulton, Daniel Vettori, Hamish Marshall, Craig McMillan, James Franklin, Andre Adams, Shane Bond, Mark Gillespie, Michael Mason, Jeetan Patel.
Australia
Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Cameron White, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath.
England
Michael Vaughan (c), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Jamie Dalrymple, Andy Flintoff, Ed Joyce, Jon Lewis, Sajid Mahmood, Paul Nixon, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Liam Plunkett, Chris Read, Andrew Strauss, Chris Tremlett.
NZ's Fixtures
Sunday: v Australia at Bellerive Oval, Hobart
Tuesday: v England at Bellerive Oval, Hobart
Jan 21: v Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney
Jan 23: v England at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Jan 28: v Australia at the Waca, Perth
Jan 30: v England at the Waca, Perth
Feb 4: v Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Feb 6: v England at the Gabba, Brisbane
Feb 9: First final at the MCG, Melbourne
Feb 11: Second final at the SCG, Sydney
Feb 13: Third final (if required), Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
