Handled the ball is one of the ten methods of
dismissing a
batsman in the sport of
cricket. It dictates that either batsman can be given out if they intentionally touch the
ball with a hand that is not holding their
bat. An exception is given for if the batsman handles the ball to avoid injury. It is governed by Law 33 of the
laws of cricket, and is a rare way for a batsman to be dismissed: in the history of cricket, there have been 59 instances in
first-class matches and 5 occasions in
List A games. In most cases this occurs when a batsman thinks that the ball is going to hit their
wicket, and knocks it away from the stumps with their hand.
