He was in the center stage of South Africa's batting lineup ever since South Africa was readmitted to international cricket in the 1990s. Cullinan was known for his ability to produce fine test innings under pressure situations at any conditions and he delivered in most of the occasions except for in Australian conditions. In 1994, in the third test of the series against England at The Oval, he stood firm and scored crucial 94 runs which accounted for 54% of the team total whereas other batsmen around him fell prey to Devon Malcolm as Malcolm decimated the Proteas with 9/57 and South Africa crumbled to 175 all out. He was an integral member of the South African which won the four nation Sameer Cup 1996–97 where South Africa emerged victorious in the final after defeating Pakistan by 7 wickets. He was part of the South African squad which reached quarter-finals of the 1996 Cricket World Cup. During the quarter-final he top-scored for Proteas with 69 runs but it was in vain as West Indies won the match by a narrow margin of 19 runs. He played a key role in South Africa's triumph over India in the final of the 1996–97 Standard Bank International One-Day Series where he top-scored in the final with 60 runs. He was also the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 300 runs. He was a member of the side which claimed the 1996 Pepsi Sharjah Cup which was played between South Africa, Pakistan and India. He was a crucial key element to South Africa's triumph in the inaugural edition of the ICC KnockOut Trophy in 1998 where South Africa recorded their first ever ICC title win by defeating fancied West Indies in the final by chasing 246. He opened the batting throughout the tournament despite having played primarily in the position of number 4 or lower in previous occasions. On 27 January 1999, in an ODI against the West Indies he was given out for handling the ball to become the first South African in 42 years to be dismissed in that fashion after Russell Endean. Facing the West Indian spinner Keith Arthurton, Cullinan fended the ball off into the ground. It bounced high in the air, and Cullinan removed his right hand from his bat to catch it as it fell again. Despite the fact that it was unlikely that the ball would land