This was a match Sri Lanka, beaten first up by New Zealand, had to win to stay in the tournament.[break]
But it was a close-run thing for last year´s losing finalists with the five overs needed in Zimbabwe´s reply to constitute a match only just completed before rain ended the game.
Veteran batsman Jayawardene´s innings was the cornerstone of Sri Lanka´s 7 for 173, made after captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss.
Zimbabwe, playing its first match of the tournament after encouraging warm-up wins over defending champions Pakistan and Australia, saw its innings halted by rain in the first over.
That left them with a revised target of 104 off 11 overs before rain ended the match at the five-over mark with Zimbabwe on 1 for 29, rather than the 1 for 43 they needed for victory, following the early loss of Hamilton Masakadza to a farcical run-out.
Unless Zimbabwe beat New Zealand by a huge margin, Sri Lanka should go through to the Super Eights with the Kiwis.
Former captain Jayawardene, who made 81 in Sri Lanka´s two-wicket loss to New Zealand, scored exactly 100.
Jayawardene´s hundred was only the fourth in all Twenty20 internationals but the second in this competition in as many days after India´s Suresh Raina scored 101 against South Africa in Saint Lucia.
Stylish right-hander Jayawardene faced 63 balls with four sixes and 10 fours, concentrating mainly on classical cricket shots.
Zimbabwe kept taking wickets at the other end but could do little about opening batsman Jayawardene.
Tillakaratne Dilshan, player of the tournament at last year´s World Twenty20 in England, has not looked anything like the same player at this edition and he made just 2 before a miscued drive off Elton Chigumbura went straight to mid-off.
Twenty20 debutant Thissara Perera helped Jayawardene add 56 in six overs before he was well caught in the deep by Chigumbura.
Several batsmen then failed to get going but Jayawardene carried on serenely before he was finally caught at long-on off left-arm spinner Ray Price.
West Indies beat England by 8 wickets
West Indies won through to the second round Super Eights of the World Twenty20 after beating England by eight wickets in a match turned on its head by rain on Monday.
England made a challenging total of 191 for five, featuring 55 from former Ireland batsman Eoin Morgan, after being sent in to bat by West Indies captain Chris Gayle.
But rain, which had interrupted Sri Lanka´s victory over Zimbabwe earlier here Monday, effectively rendered that score meaningless.
Instead, the West Indies were left with a revised target of 60 in six overs under the Duckworth/Lewis method for rain-affected matches and they got home with a ball to spare.
England now have a winner-takes-all clash against Ireland, who suffered a 70-run Group D thrashing by the West Indies last week, here on Tuesday to decide which team will join the hosts in the Super Eights.
Paul Collingwood, England´s Twenty20 captain, made no attempt to hide his feelings. "Obviously we are very, very frustrated. I thought the boys played what was a fantastic game today," he told Sky Sports 1.
"I think 95 percent of the time when you put 191 runs on the board you are going to win the game.
"Somehow Duckworth/Lewis seems to bring that equation down a fair bit.
"I don´t know what equation you should have but you shouldn´t have that one.
"It does get very frustrating as a team when you´ve pretty much played a very good game there and you still come out losers," the all-rounder added.
"We wanted to win both games, but we have to win tomorrow (Tuesday)."
There was a brief moment of worry for the West Indies when off-spinner Graeme Swann took two wickets in two deliveries to leave the home side 42 for two in the fourth over.
Opening batsman Gayle was caught at short mid-wicket before Kieron Pollard was stumped by debutant wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter.
But Shivnarine Chanderpaul (15 not out) and Andre Fletcher (12 not out) saw the West Indies to victory with a ball to spare as they scored the eight runs they needed off the last over, from fast bowler Stuart Broad.
Gayle said local knowledge had encouraged him to field first.
"The locals are very right about the weather," he said. "The rain actually fell in our favour, which was unfortunate for England."
But Gayle said the way his bowlers had been punished by England´s batsmen had left the team with plenty to ponder.
"We have got to go back to the drawing board, but give credit where it´s due and England´s batsmen batted very well," he said.
"We need to look on the areas where we went wrong."
Left-hander Morgan faced just 35 balls and struck three sixes and six fours.
Together with Luke Wright, unbeaten on 45 off 27 balls, he put on 95 for the fifth wicket.
England started well thanks to their new South Africa born opening pair of Michael Lumb and Kieswetter.
Lumb, on his international debut, took 16 off one Ravi Rampaul over.
Fast bowler Rampaul´s three overs cost a hugely expensive 52 runs in total.
But in-form West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy, the man-of-the-match, checked England´s progress with two wickets in the tenth over, bowling Collingwood for six and inducing Kevin Pietersen (24) to hole out to midwicket.
With England 88 for four at the halfway mark, Morgan and Wright consolidated before going for their shots, with England scoring 76 runs in the final five overs of their innings
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