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New Zealand had not an away Test series in Asia since 2008 and Kane Williamson hailed triumph against Pakistan.

Williamson: New Zealand will remember 'fantastic' win for a long time

Kane Williamson lauded New Zealand's "fantastic" performance as they ended their long wait for an away Test-series win against Pakistan.

The Black Caps had last defeated Pakistan away from home in 1969, but they breezed to a 123-run victory on the final day of the decisive third Test match on Friday.

Pakistan were set a target of 280 after Williamson and the unbeaten Henry Nicholls combined for 212 for the fifth wicket and the New Zealand attack then stepped up to bowl the chasing side out for 156.

"It was a fantastic performance to be a part of," said Williamson in the post-match presentation.

"We know how formidable Pakistan are, certainly in their back yard. They showed how strong they are in Dubai [in the second Test] and turned us over pretty easily, so to bounce back and win a decider is pretty special.

"We've already spoken about the fact it'll be one the guys remember for a long time, that's for sure."

Although Williamson and Nicholls had the Black Caps in control by the end of day four, the captain says they were keen not to get carried away before sealing victory.

"We knew there was a lot of hard work to do," he said. "After the first innings, we felt we had a pretty nice total and then Pakistan came out and played really, really well. That put us behind again.

First innings: 89 (176)
Second innings: 134 (297)

Kane Williamson is the Player of the Match for an outstanding batting display that helped his side seal the series win! #PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/5IyS3GFF7x
— ICC (@ICC) December 7, 2018

"To get a good second target and to come out again this morning and play the way we did, we knew anything could happen from then on.

"As we've seen, the games ebbed and flowed really, really quickly. In the space of a few overs, there might have been two or three wickets and the whole game's changed.

"We certainly didn't want to get ahead of ourselves, but it was nice that throughout the series, even at times in Dubai, we were able to stay in the competition. We could apply pressure to this strong Pakistan side."

And while Williamson was hailed for his performance as he took the microphone, having scored 89 and then 139, he deflected praise onto Nicholls.

"It's one of those things where you're trying to knuckle down and stick to your plans," he said. "I think we do need to mention Henry Nicholls' innings.

"We were able to get that partnership and get a little momentum. I think we've seen that throughout all the games, where there have been partnerships, you've been able to score if you apply yourself.

"It has been tough to start and that's the nature on all of these surfaces. It was a real fighting effort, one that we'll remember for a long time."

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