What is handling the ball in cricket?

Handled the ball was a law in the Laws of Cricket, established by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). A batsman could be given out for handling the ball if, while playing a delivery, the batsman intentionally touched the ball with one or both of their hands not holding the bat.

The only exception to the rule was that the batsman could touch the ball to avoid injury. It was governed by the Law 33 of the 2000 Edition of the Laws. It was a rare way of dismissing the batsman.

In the history of the game, a total of 61 instances have