Unlikely as it might seem at first glance, there is a connection between the Tall Blacks' world basketball championship qualifying success over Australia, and New Zealand cricket.

And it's not just because CLEAR Black Caps skipper Stephen Fleming was in the crowd at the first victory, the first in 23 years, at the Queens Wharf Events Centre in Wellington on Friday night.

The lesson is there for all New Zealand sport in fact.

Much as New Zealanders might like to think they are a power in world sport, they can only claim that status in one sport, rugby. And that "world" status really only belongs to a handful of countries giving about as much credence to "world" status as the baseball championship in North America.

The fact is that New Zealand's population is so small that it can never consistently be a champion in any sport.

What Pero Cameron's Tall Blacks have done is highlight the "guerilla syndrome" of New Zealand sport.

It is all about getting your sport into position to take advantage of two things: your own assembling of talented players, and the opposition leaving its guard down.

When you have a group of players, who are skilled, who have the hunger and who have the experience, you can pick the odd golden moment that has the potential to provide benefits for your sport for the next 10 years if you use it right.

It happened in 1982 for the World Cup soccer squad, it happened in 1972 for the Olympic rowing eight, it happened in 1992 for the World Cup cricket team and it happened in 1985/86 for the New Zealand cricket team when beating Australia away and at home.

There are numerous other instances.

Three or four years ago Basketball New Zealand set out to try and boost the exposure of what was a talented, but largely untried, group of players. They toured Europe, they played more internationals at home, they gained a bonus place at the Olympic Games in Sydney.

The reward came on Sunday in Auckland when the side beat their nemesis Australia to a place at next year's world championships by virtue of catching their opponent with their guard down.

It can happen to any team.

New Zealand's cricketers know that the prospect of emerging on top of the ICC Test Championship is almost next to nothing. But they can aspire to be in the top half of the championship, and when that happens they can expect to cause problems, and to take some victories from most of their opponents.

There is now a core of experience in the New Zealand side that should allow it to compete with the best in the world. Obviously, freedom from injury is a key factor.

New Zealand goes into the new summer facing its toughest rival, Australia.

An Australian team regarded as one of the finest of the ages.

It then faces an even older foe in England.

The example that cricket can take from the Tall Blacks, who hadn't beaten Australia in 23 years, is that anything is possible.

The right application of ability, attitude and aggression can move psychological mountains in the sports arena.

On the last tour of New Zealand by Australia, the home team got itself into positions to advance, only to falter.

On subsequent occasions New Zealand has shown an ability to finish off matches with effect, most notably in Nairobi in the winning of the ICC KnockOut trophy, but also in thrashing Pakistan to regain lost initiative in a One-Day International series and in a Test series last summer.

But the success of the basketballers has been a timely reminder of what whole-hearted commitment can achieve, not only for the New Zealand cricket team but for New Zealand sport as a whole.

Carpe diem - seize the time, has become the catch-cry of many New Zealand sports teams. The Tall Blacks have done that, it is time for others, including the cricketers, to do likewise.

© CricInfo