It was worth waiting for. It was worth waiting through 50 matches in this World Cup, the majority of them one-sided. It was worth waiting through a rainy morning for the final to begin, reduced to 38 overs for Australia, 36 for Sri Lanka. It was worth waiting for, because Adam Gilchrist produced the greatest piece of hitting seen in any of the nine finals to date, scoring 149 from 104 balls to set up Australia’s third World Cup triumph in a row. There had only been four centuries scored in World Cup finals before, such is the pressure of the occasion.

The highest of them had been Ricky Ponting’s 140 not out in the 2003 final in Johannesburg.. The match degenerated into farce when the players went off in twilight after 33 overs, then returned in almost total darkness, so the quota of 36 overs could be completed. Never has a World Cup been won in more absurd conditions.

Nothing was visible except the electronic scoreboard, which did not know what was going on. Nobody could see the celebrating Australians or the closing ceremony.

An observer of Australia’s team meetings had noted that when Gilchrist had spoken he had talked about freedom. And when the time came, at 12.15 local time, after a rainy morning, Gilchrist batted with more freedom than anybody in a final before.

It was far from being pure aggression and hitting from the word ‘play’. Gilchrist measured up the conditions first. So it was not until the third over that Gilchrist hit his first six. Gilchrist had effectively slumbered since hitting England for the second-fastest Test hundred of all time in Perth, just before Christmas.

But even at 35, he was not too old to learn patience before freedom. Gilchrist was dropped twice, and the first time was crucial, perhaps match-turning, but even then he middled the ball so well that the bowler Dilhara Fernando could not grab the ball by his boots. And never was divine revenge swifter, for Gilchrist hit Fernando’s next three balls for four, four and six. He had made 57 off 48 balls in the last World Cup final to soften up India, but this time he kept on softening, and pummelling, reaching his hundred — strangely, his first World Cup century — off only 72 balls.

Australia need Gilchrist in Tests, but he can give the one-day game away because he has achieved all there is. Any semblance of control Sri Lanka had went out of the window when Gilchrist clattered the off-spin of Tillekeratne Dilshan for two sixes in an over which included five wides.

After the opening stand of 172 in 23 overs, Ponting and Andrew Symonds finished off the innings, while Ponting and Michael Clarke were warned for running on the pitch. In the second instance, umpire Aleem Dar correctly sent Clarke back and cancelled the single he had scored, but the Australians seemed reluctant to accept the decision. It was a moment of ugliness to mar their win.

As a left-handed opener, Sanath Jayasuriya did his best to match Gilchrist, and with Kumar Sangakkara shared a brilliant stand of 115 which generated real excitement in the capacity crowd. Australia creaked during the second power play when they conceded 51 from five overs.

Even the old warhorse Glenn McGrath had to be withdrawn from the attack. Rain threatened, and came, and went again, but Sri Lanka were always just behind the run-rate required. Two overs were deducted and Sri Lanka’s target was reduced to 269 off 36, but that was no consolation as their required rate had climbed above 10 an over.