Abu Dhabi: New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori believes his team’s conscious effort to improve in key areas helped them beat Pakistan and level the three-match series at 1-1.

They may have been beaten by 138-runs in the first match on Tuesday but the Black Caps hit back with a clinical performance in the second Friday to win by 64 runs — a turnaround which delighted the New Zealand captain.

“I think we wanted to improve on some key areas, made a conscious effort and it’s pleasing that we were able to turn around in a couple of days; now we must keep the pressure on Pakistan,” said Vettori after the win.