4 Less-common modes of dismissals in cricket

3. Hit the ball twice

Hitting the ball twice is a mode of dismissal not known very well to most

This was a rule which was first brought in place to prevent batsmen from hitting the ball more than once as it posed a danger to the fielders – with two fatalities in England in the 17th century. The earliest recorded dismissal of this kind is from a match between Sussex and Hampshire in 1786.

Modern day cricket rules have the rule of the “double hit” as an extension of obstruction of field wherein the batsman hits the ball for a second time with the bat in cases where the intention is not preserving the wicket.

According to the MCC rulebook,

“(i) The striker is out Hit the ball twice if, while the ball is in play, it strikes any part of his person or is struck by his bat and, before the ball has been touched by a fielder, he wilfully strikes it again with his bat or person, other than a hand not holding the bat, except for the sole purpose of guarding his wicket.

(ii) For the purpose of this Law, 'struck' or 'strike' shall include contact with the person of the striker.”

The batsman is not guilty of the charge if the intention of the second touch is to avoid the ball hitting the stumps (thus avoiding being clean bowled) or the batsman is looking to return the ball to the fielding side.

Only runs scored from the hit by the bat (that is, before the second hit) are added to the batting side’s total, which are at the discretion of the umpire judging from the particular incident and the bowler doesn’t get credit for the wicket.

This type of dismissal is rare, with no instance in international cricket and 21 cases in first-class cricket so far. The most recent instance was when Jammu and Kashmir batsman Dhruv Mahajan was dismissed for hitting the ball twice in a match against Bihar in 2005.

In a Pakistan vs India match in 2006, Inzamam-ul-Haq hit the ball twice – first a drive off the bowling off Sreesanth to mid-off, and then to block the ball with his bat when Suresh Raina threw the ball at the striker’s end in an attempt to run him out.

With the ball headed towards the stumps and the batsman standing outside his crease while blocking the ball, the umpires deemed Inzamam’s act as inappropriate – and since the ball had been touched by Raina before the second touch – the batsman was declared out for obstructing the field and not hitting the ball twice.