Follow the World Cup cricket final from 9.30am today with cricket writer Matt Donlan.

Mahela Jayawardene produced his third World Cup hundred on the biggest stage of all as Sri Lanka recovered from a slow start to post 274 for six against India in the final in Mumbai.

Jayawardene (103no) barely played a false shot in an 88-ball innings of the highest class which ensured a challenging total after all.

Sri Lanka began conservatively, after winning the toss on a good pitch, as Zaheer Khan kept the brakes on with a miserly new-ball spell of 5-3-6-1.

But number four Jayawardene responded with trademark supreme batsmanship, full of characteristic wristy timing and placement yet almost bereft of risk.

His was the key wicket almost from the moment he reached the crease, and certainly after India broke the first of his three half-century stands - with captain Kumar Sangakkara.

Yet Jayawardene established a run-a-ball tempo and retained it throughout, at all inevitable pressure points as wickets began to fall at the other end. Zaheer bowled with outstanding control in his opening spell, and was backed up by impressive fielding in the off-side ring.

It was enough to stifle Sri Lanka's previously prolific opening pair of Tillekeratne Dilshan and, in particular, Upul Tharanga.

After three maidens, the left-hander succumbed to the first delivery of Zaheer's fourth over when a touch of movement away off the pitch took an outside edge and was well caught by Virender Sehwag, away to his right at first slip.

Tharanga's two runs had eaten up 20 balls. But number three Sangakkara then pushed his first ball from Zaheer for a single to mid-on, as the left-armer conceded his first run from his 20th delivery.

Shantha Sreesanth, called in for his first match since the opening fixture of the tournament 42 days ago - when India took on co-hosts Bangladesh in Dhaka - also gave little away initially but began to look flaky in his second spell as Sangakkara beat the in-field for successive boundaries.

India nonetheless stuck to seam through all but the last over of the mandatory and bowling powerplays, Munaf Patel bowling in tandem with Sreesanth as Zaheer took a well-earned breather.

The introduction of Harbhajan Singh soon did for Dilshan, unluckily bowled off glove and pad as he tried to sweep.

But Jayawardene joined Sangakkara for a partnership of 62, which was beginning to threaten significantly when the captain went after a short ball from Yuvraj Singh only to edge it behind.

Thilan Samaraweera helped Jayawardene put on another 57.

Yet once again just when Sri Lanka were just starting to look well-placed Samaraweera was lbw sweeping at Yuvraj after a successful DRS challenge from the Indians.

Chamara Kapugedera poked a very good slower ball from the returning Zaheer straight to cover to go for only a single.

Two wickets had gone for three runs - a test of resolve and skill even for Jayawardene.

But he found another willing and able partner in Nuwan Kulasekara, who helped to rotate the strike and keep wickets intact for the final powerplay push - in which Sri Lanka's best-of-the-tournament 63 runs were plundered, and Jayawardene completed a richly-deserved century with the last of his 13 fours over wide mid-off as even Zaheer started to suffer.

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