The return of Aaron Finch can't come soon enough for Melbourne Renegades after being handed their third straight BBL defeat by Adelaide Strikers.
Set a gettable target of 159 to win in Geelong, the hapless Renegades started horribly and finished well short on 9-126 from their 20 overs.
Beau Webster's 33 helped reduce the margin but the Renegades had little hope after losing both Mackenzie Harvey and Sam Harper during a powerplay which yielded just 21 runs.
Skipper Tom Cooper and veteran Cameron White soon followed, the latter trapped lbw after failing to pick a well-disguised Rashid Khan wrong'un.
Afghan star Rashid (1-18) proved a deadly combination with fellow legspinner Liam O'Connor, who snared 2-21 after being recalled for his first game of the season.
Test opener Finch, whose stunning record in T20 cricket includes six centuries and well over 7000 runs, was deemed unavailable to represent the Renegades in Geelong after being dropped for the fourth Test against India.
The Renegades will have Australia's limited-overs captain back to face Hobart Hurricanes on Monday but he will then return to Sydney for the ODI series against India.
His availability beyond that depends on whether he is picked for the Tests against Sri Lanka but the Renegades will be desperate to have him at their disposal.
"With Finchy potentially coming back in it's always an added bonus ... the batting probably to be fair over the five games hasn't been up to standard," Renegades coach Andrew McDonald said.
"That's where we've got to maybe make some changes or tinker with some orders or personnel."
The Strikers' clinical bowling in front of a lacklustre crowd of 18,029 at GMHBA Stadium turned things around after a batting performance let down by reckless run-outs.
Jake Weatherald and Alex Carey's 64-run opening partnership had the Strikers sitting pretty but Carey's dismissal precipitated a collapse, with Weatherald (71) and Matt Short both run out after failing to ground their bats.
Big-hitters Colin Ingram and Jake Lehmann then fell cheaply as the Strikers were restricted to 6-158 off their 20 overs - a total restored somewhat by tailender Rashid's entertaining cameo of 21 not out which included two sixes.
Weatherald had been eyeing the first century of the BBL season after helping himself to three sixes and six fours on the ground's short square boundaries
The left-hander cursed himself as he departed courtesy of some sharp fielding from Usman Shinwari and wicketkeeper Harper.
