Kaif, Yuvraj author India's fairytale triumph at Lord's Even Lord's, the starchy headquarters of cricket, would have been forgiven if it experienced a frisson of excitement on Saturday. For, it too would have but rarely witnessed audacity on the scale that Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif displayed on the afternoon of the NatWest final. Despite the fact that their team was tottering at 146 for 5 in reply to England's mammoth 325 for 5, the two young men refused to lose their nerve. In the face of almost impossible odds, Yuvraj (69 off 63 balls) and Kaif (87* off 75 balls) put on 121 runs off 106 balls for the sixth wicket. This was then built upon when Harbhajan Singh (15) helped Kaif add 47 runs. A jubilant Kaif was still around when an overthrow secured India a famous win with just three balls to spare. Earlier, hundreds from Marcus Trescothick (109 off 100 balls) and Nasser Hussain (115 off 128 balls) helped England reach a new record score in the NatWest tournament. But on an incandescent afternoon, which saw India get off to a belligerent start thanks to skipper Sourav Ganguly (60 off 43 balls) and Virender Sehwag (45 off 49 balls), it was soon to be overhauled.

Ganguly: We batted like champions The Indian captain Sourav Ganguly hailed his team after they secured a thrilling win in the final of the NatWest tri-series at Lord's on Saturday. "I thought we played fantastically well and deserved to win," Ganguly told newsmen after the match. "We have played well throughout series. We did not bowl well in the first half today but we batted like champions. Yuvraj and Kaif batted have batted well, but the way those two guys batted today was unbelievable. When we got to 100 in 15 overs I knew we had a chance because it was a good wicket and a fast outfield," he added. His counterpart, Nasser Hussain, was naturally disappointed at ending up on the losing side despite piling up a massive 325 runs after opting to bat. "We are very disappointed but you have to give credit where it's due and they (India) played out of their skins today. Congratulations to them - they batted brilliantly. "You can't point fingers in the dressing room - you've got to say 'all credit you've tried hard throughout the tournament'. We've got to improve a few things but we're a much-improved side," the England skipper observed. England's Marcus Trescothick, who made a century for England in the game and was later voted player of the series, also voiced his disappointment at the loss. "Personally I've played pretty well this summer and I'm looking forward to carrying it on - but I'm very disappointed today, although it was a fantastic game for the crowd to watch," he noted.

Hussain gets shirty with his critics Nasser Hussain might have won the Order of the British Empire (OBE) ahead of the Lord's final but that did not prevent him from having a go at his detractors on Saturday. The critics, who include some notable ex-England cricketers, feel that the England captain is doing his team a disservice by staying on at No.3. On Saturday, Hussain after a scratchy start, discovered his run-scoring touch, going on to reach his maiden ODI hundred in 72 matches. Obviously emotional, the England skipper pointed to the No 3 on the back of his shirt before raising three fingers towards his critics in the media centre and mouthing 'f****** three' for good effect. It was an act that was roundly criticised by almost everybody later. Even Hussain admitted his folly. "I may have been slightly over the top," he agreed in his Sunday Telegraph column.

Secure your year-long ticket to unlimited fun. Become a member of Kirkets now. Click Here Put all that "useless" knowledge to the ultimate test. Play CricWhiz, CricInfo's daily cricket quiz. Click Here Erapalli Prasanna praises Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif for scripting the greatest comeback win in ODIs. Click Here