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.