David Leggat: NZ's great overseas cricket victories

New Zealand's bowler Trent Boult, left, talks with captain Brendon McCullum during the second day of this week's test. Photo / AP

On the back of New Zealand's outstanding 186-run test win over the West Indies, here's five other overseas victories which rank among the best:

1: Beat South Africa by 72 runs, Cape Town, January 1962

It's here because it was New Zealand's first win overseas. Actually it was just the second altogether and the 55th test.

Zin Harris' only test century, 92 from the outstanding allrounder John R. Reid and 60s from Murray Chapple and Noel McGregor helped New Zealand to 385 in their first innings.

Frank Cameron and Jadck Alabaster shared nine wickets as South Africa were shot out for 190. Then, setting the hosts 408, legspinner Alabaster, with another four wickets, speedster Gary Bartlett and Reid dismissed South Africa for 335. Notable also for 11 wickets by South African seamer Syd Burke on debut. He played just one more test.

2: Beat India by 167 runs, Nagpur, October 1969

The first win on the sub-continent, and memorable for an outstanding performance from left arm spinner Hedley Howarth.

Graham Dowling (69), Bevan Congdon (64) and Mark Burgess (89) pushed New Zealand to 319. The first innings lead was 62 and the final target 277. Howarth completed a match double of nine for 100 off 53 overs. Vic Pollard and Burgess chipped in with nine more. You could say it was spinners' territory.

3: Beat England by 5 wickets, Leeds, July 1983

New Zealand beat England for the first time in England, and without a single wicket taken by the country's greatest player, Richard Hadlee. Hard to fathom, but that's what happened at Headingley.

Lance Cairns took 10 in the match, and Ewen Chatfield's five in the second innings, left New Zealand needing just 101. They lost five wickets getting there, but the celebrations were long and heartfelt.

4: Beat Australia by an innings and 41 runs, Brisbane, November 1985

Often held up as the best of the lot, home or away. Chalk this one down to Hadlee in a big way, but the utterly convincing manner of the win owed to several contributors.

Hadlee took nine for 52 in Australia's first innings, six for 71 in the second. Martin Crowe (188) and John F. Reid (108) pushed New Zealand out to 553 for seven, still the country's 12th highest test total.

5: Beat Australia by 7 runs, Hobart, December 2011

A thriller even though it only lasted 239 overs. Vivid green pitch, sharp seam bowling and some ordinary batting combined to produce a match for the bowlers.

Only Dean Brownlie (56) got past 20 in New Zealand's 150, but even that was enough for a 14-run first innings lead. Chris Martin, Trent Boult and Doug Bracewell took three wickets each and after leaving the Aussies 241 to win, Bracewell had his finest day for New Zealand, taking six for 40, nine for 60 in the match.

David Warner made an unbeaten 123 and it turned into a cliffhanger as Warner and Nathan Lyon inched Australia within touching distance with a 34-run last-wicket stand before Bracewell ended a cracking, albeit lowscoring test.