Adelaide Strikers' legspinning wizard Rashid Khan could do nothing but crack a wry smile when fellow Afghan Mohammad Nabi smashed him over his head for a straight six.
It was the early stages of a match-winning, unbroken 96-run partnership in eight overs between Nabi and Dan Christian which helped the Melbourne Renegades stun the Strikers by five wickets at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
Rashid was the best bowler for either team by several lengths, snaring 2-13 off his four overs.
Nabi's six off Rashid's full offering was the leggie's only blemish for the night - and both of them knew it.
"He (Nabi) said 'you bowled the wrong one and I hit it'," Rashid said with a laugh.
"I just said 'I bowled it a bit fuller, that's why you did it'.
"It was fun."
Earlier, a pair of masterful googlies bamboozled Sam Harper and Cameron White, who were both trapped leg-before in Rashid's second over which stalled the Renegades' progress momentarily.
The top-order pair were expertly set up, cat-and-mouse style, by the wily wrist spinner.
"I tried to bowl initially a few legspinners, then bring in the wrong 'un," said Rashid, who is closing in on 100 Twenty20 wickets this calendar year.
"I had this plan in my mind and it worked.
"Not even a noticeably short 55m square boundary on the members' side spooked Rashid, like it appeared to some of his contemporaries.
"Even when a miss-hit goes for six, I always back in myself and my good deliveries," he said.
"With a bad delivery, an 80-90m boundary can become short for you.
"I keep in my mind to forget about the boundary, whether it's short or long, I just need to bowl good deliveries."
