India's spectacular win in the NatWest Series final broke a couple of norms: it's not every day that India wins a final and it's even rarer for team to better 325. But a couple of norms got even more deeply established: India just can't lose when Yujraj scores more than 50, and poor England, they don't have a hope in hell when Marcus Trescothick scores a century. Yuvraj, who is fast gaining the reputation as a lethal finisher, was distraught at not finishing the job today, but had he had any faith in precedence, he wouldn't have worried too much. All five of his previous fifties had been winning efforts, and his 69 was not about to go in vain.

Yuvraj, who now averages 156.7 in matches he has crossed fifty, announced himself to the world with stunning 80-ball 84 against Australia in the ICC Knockout quarter-final in Nairobi in October 2000. His innings rescued India from a potentially disastrous 90 for 3, and he almost made sure of an Indian victory with a lightning direct hit from mid-on that ran Michael Bevan out.

His next fifty came nine months and 17 matches later, but it was no less spectacular. His unbeaten 98 lifted India from a woeful 38 for 4 against Sri Lanka in Colombo and India's 227 was enough to secure a comfortable victory. But dumped after a few indifferent matches, he again found himself in a corner in his comeback match against Zimbabwe in March this year.

India had managed to get themselves behind in the five-match series against Stuart Carlisle's unfancied team, and Yuvraj walked in to another crisis at Hyderabad with India down to 132 for 4 and with no recognised batsmen to follow. He scored 80 (off 60 balls with eight fours and a six) of India's next 112 runs, adding 92 with Mohammad Kaif who played the perfect foil with a 101-ball 68. This he followed up with a 52-ball 75 at Guwahati and helped Dinesh Mongia (159 runs, 147 balls) clinch the series for India. Now he was an automatic choice for No. 6.

Even so, he came to India's opening match in the NatWest Series at Lord's under pressure after a sequence of low scores in the tour games. And when he walked out to join Rahul Dravid, India were again in trouble having lost four quick wickets after a sparkling start chasing 271. The pair knocked up 131 runs, with Yuvraj belting the ball imperiously and Dravid pacing his innings masterfully. It was his slowest fifty of all, but it still came at run a ball.

But though he wasn't there at the end in his second outing at Lord's tonight, his 63-ball 69 would perhaps be his most cherished yet. At 155 for 5, with Ganguly, Sehwag, Dravid and Tendulkar gone, the margin of defeat remained the only question. But after today, nothing would ever be impossible. Kaif finally won India the match but Yuvraj provided the early impetus.

In contrast, Trescothick would be left wondering what else he needed to do to win a match for England. This was his second futile century at Lord's after his 142-ball 137 against Pakistan in last year's NatWest Series that all but won England the match. Chasing a modest 242, England found themselves at 26 for 3 before the 170-run partnership between Trescothick and Owais Shah (remember him?) revived them. But they lost their last six wickets for 44 runs to fall two runs short. Trescothick was ninth out, and he would live to rue his dismissal to Saqlain Mustaq in the 49th over.

His next hundred was a heroic effort against India at Kolkata that was cut short by an umpiring error. Chasing India's mammoth 281, Trescothick had got England coasting with 121 off 109 balls when he was given out lbw to a ball that pitched outside leg. England collapsed from 224 for 4 to 259 all out.

After their defeat tonight, England might perhaps be looking for ways to stop Trescothick from scoring a century.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd