AS THE leading performer in 20-overs cricket, Adam Hollioake was bound to be a central figure on finals day. But nobody imagined the unhappy part he would play. Handed an opportunity to extend Surrey’s unbeaten run to a second full season, the iceman found himself outmanoeuvred by one of the most unfashionable counties on the circuit.

Leicestershire required 20 runs from 12 balls to wrest the trophy from the holders as Hollioake, the authority on variation, prepared to deliver the penultimate over. He could not know then that Brad Hodge and Jeremy Snape had deciphered the signal to the wicketkeeper that telegraphed his slower ball.

Many a batsman has succumbed to Hollioake, usually caught in the deep or bowled mistiming a swing at the death of an innings. This time, Hodge and Snape struck 16 as the master of disguise had his mask whipped away. Snape scooped a six over long-on and Hodge forced a four two balls later. When Snape clipped the winning four through mid-wicket from the first ball of the next over, bowled by Azhar Mahmood, the joy was unconfined. Leicestershire are easily underestimated and practised hard for this competition, but they were still expected to melt, like all before, under Hollioake’s gaze.

Some captains have stated that the brisk format allows no time to think and take stock, but Hodge and Snape, who added 47 after coming together in the fifteenth over, showed what can be achieved in a few seconds here and there. They also buried the idea that 20-over cricket has to be a shallow affair.

Hodge is one of those Australians who relishes a challenge. He said he wanted Surrey to know that Holli- oake’s code had been disentangled because it would force them to alter their plan. Nor is Snape easily out-thought. He is about to start a masters degree in sports psychology at Loughborough University.

Surrey had sailed close to the wind in beating Lancashire by one run in a lower-scoring semi-final. They were blown away second time because Hodge batted through the reply for 77 not out from 53 balls. “You know against Leicestershire that if you knock over the top two early you have a big shout,” Jonathan Batty, the Surrey captain, said. “They are a very disciplined side, well-drilled and good in the field, and they can mix it up with their pace bowlers and spinners. Adam has nailed every game for us for two seasons and I suppose there was always going to come a time when that did not happen.”

Hodge replaced Phillip DeFreitas as captain during the group phase of the competition and the switch appears to have rejuvenated Leicestershire’s season. “I think I have brought a fresh approach and the Australian enthusiasm to the way we play,” he said. “It is hard, it is flamboyant, but selective at the same time.”

Snape suggested that the county now have greater self-belief and focus on the basics. He drew similarities between this team without stars and the Gloucestershire side that he helped to become dominant in the one-day game. “A lot of sports psychology is about sticking to the basics under pressure,” he said.

However, Batty was right to identify the opening partnership between Hodge and Darren Maddy as the biggest single reason for the success. Those two put on 82 in the semi-final against Glamorgan, and 62 inside six overs later in the day. Maddy, with 356 runs, was the leading scorer in the tournament overall.

Their winning total of 169 for three meant that the sixth innings of a long, sun-baked day was also the highest. Edgbaston was almost full at the 10pm conclusion, just as it had been for the first ball at 11.30am. Proceedings overall represented another triumph for the ECB.

On the debit side, queues for refreshments were sometimes too long, while concerts by Liberty X and Natasha Bedingfield met a generally tepid response. Spectators close to the hospitality boxes were more interested later when Andrew Flintoff downed a pint of beer in one gulp. He deserved a drink after a good hour signing autographs.

The beaten finalists could not even draw minor consolation from “victory” in the mascots’ race between the semi-finals. Roary the Lion enjoyed a considerable advantage by running in trainers instead of costume shoes, and was disqualified. “Typical Surrey,” one contestant was heard to mutter.