What would you expect when the scoreboard is reading 122/9 and No 11, with an average of 7.83 in 13 matches, walks in? Maybe the batman on the other end will hit a few runs and he would swing bats a few times before finally ending with a sky-rocketed catch or castled stumps.
Here is the different story. He scores a brilliant half-century helping him team reach the total unimaged a few hours earlier. If Jason Gillespie scoring a Test double century was a surprise, Raj Kumar Pradhan, scoring a 68 not out, was a miracle because he is so used to getting out quick.
But the 34-year-old legspinner did the magic by adding 104 runs with Sanjam Regmi, the off-spinner who was in just a spot earlier to him. And, he could have added a few more, maybe an unlikely century, hadn’t his partner had got run out on 39 ending the 48.2 overs long stay.
Nepal with that went on to score 226 in the first innings getting 4.5 bonus points in the crucial ACC Premier League tie against the hosts Malaysia at Kinrara Stadium. When the rain forced the early end of the match, Malaysians were 4/0 in their 4 overs.
Raj Kumar scored 68 not out in 118 balls with 11 fours while Sanjam got 39 off 137 with three fours.
Earlier, Malaysia won the toss and invited Nepal to bat first. They proved their decision right as opening pair of Thushara Kodikara and Suresh Navaratnam bowled their hearts along with Krishnamurathi pushing Nepal on backfoot as they tourists went down to 114/8.
Navaratnam and Kodikara took three wickets each while Krishnamurathi returned with two.
Captain Binod Das was then bowled by Arudin for four on 122 as the Malaysians looked for a early batting opportunites before Raj Kumar and Sanjam denied them. Apart from Mahesh Chhetri (29 off 77) and Gyanendra Malla (24 off 35), no other batsmen did contribute much.
Paresh Lohani, Mehboob Alam and Paras Khadka all got out on 12. Malaysia claimed all possible five bonus points from the bowling.