Hit the Ball Twice in Cricket: When is it a Dismissal?

Imagine this: a batsman plays a full delivery, it loops up off the edge, and then — seeing it is about to land on the stumps — they swing the bat a second time and hit it again. Is that out? Is it allowed? Could it ever make sense to do it deliberately?

The answer depends entirely on context, and the law that governs it — Law 34 — is one of the most nuanced in cricket's rulebook. It makes the perfectly legal act of protecting your stumps sit right next to a genuine method of dismissal, separated only by the batsman's intent and where the ball ends up.

This guide breaks down exactly when hitting the ball twice is legal, when it is not, and why this curiosity of cricket law has barely ever produced a dismissal in international cricket.

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What is the Hit the Ball Twice Law?

Law 34 of the Laws of Cricket (as set by the MCC) governs what happens when a batsman strikes the ball a second time after their initial shot. The law recognises two distinct scenarios: a legal second hit and an illegal second hit.

The core text of Law 34 states that a batsman is out "Hit the ball twice" if, after the ball has been struck or is in play, the striker wilfully strikes the ball a second time with their bat or person, except for the sole purpose of guarding the wicket.

So: hitting the ball twice is sometimes legal (guarding the wicket) and sometimes a dismissal (doing anything else). The distinction comes down entirely to purpose and outcome.

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When is Hitting it Twice Legal (Protecting Your Stumps)?

The law provides a clear and important exception: a batsman may legally hit the ball a second time if doing so is for the sole purpose of guarding their wicket — that is, preventing the ball from hitting the stumps.

In practice, this happens when:

• A batsman plays a shot, the ball pops up or rolls back, and it is on a trajectory to hit the stumps
• The batsman hits the ball again specifically and only to deflect it away from the stumps

This exception is entirely logical. If a batsman's first shot goes wrong and the ball ricochets back toward the wicket, it would be deeply unfair to prevent them from taking a second swing to save themselves from being bowled. The law is not trying to trap batsmen — it is trying to prevent deliberate interference with fielders.

The critical limits on the legal exception:

Even when hitting the ball a second time to guard the stumps, the ball must not be hit to a place where a run could be scored, and it must not deliberately be hit in the direction of a fielder. If the batsman hits it a second time to protect the stumps but it goes to the boundary — runs are not scored from that shot. If it hits a fielder — the fielding side receives five penalty runs.

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When Does it Become a Dismissal?

A batsman is dismissed for hitting the ball twice when they hit the ball a second time for any reason other than protecting the stumps. This includes:

• Hitting the ball a second time to score more runs
• Hitting the ball a second time to prevent a fielder from catching it
• Hitting the ball a second time to deny the fielding side a run-out chance
• Any second hit where the ball was not on a path to hit the stumps

The deliberateness test matters here exactly as it does in obstructing the field: the second hit must be a wilful action. An accidental second contact — where the ball clips the bat again without the batsman choosing to swing — is not a dismissal.

Scope of "person" in the law: The law mentions that striking the ball with "their person" also counts. This means a deliberate kick, body-hit or use of any body part to strike the ball a second time — not just the bat — can lead to dismissal.

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Has It Ever Happened in International Cricket?

This is one of the most genuinely rare dismissals in cricket. Confirmed instances in international cricket — Tests, ODIs, T20Is — are extraordinarily uncommon. Unlike obstructing the field, which has produced a small number of verifiable dismissals, hit the ball twice has practically never been used as a method of dismissal in elite international cricket.

The reason is intuitive: the scenario that would lead to this dismissal — a batsman deliberately hitting the ball a second time for a reason other than protecting the stumps — almost never arises in professional cricket. Batsmen are focused on their wicket, not on re-striking balls for advantage. And the specific circumstance (ball returning toward stumps but batsman hitting it elsewhere) is so unusual that it barely ever materialises in a competitive match.

In domestic cricket and club cricket, there have been anecdotal reports of the law being cited, and it is occasionally used as a test question in umpire examinations. But in international cricket, "hit the ball twice" has essentially never been applied as a dismissal.

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The Fielding Team Options

When a batsman hits the ball twice (and the second hit is not to guard the stumps), the fielding side actually has two options under Law 34, not just one. This is a subtle but important feature of the law.

Option 1 — Appeal for the dismissal. The fielding side can appeal and, if upheld, the batsman is given out hit the ball twice.

Option 2 — Claim penalty runs. If the ball was hit a second time and struck a fielder or the ball went to the boundary in a deliberate redirect, the fielding side can claim five penalty runs instead of pursuing the dismissal.

Option 3 — Take neither. The fielding side can choose not to pursue either the dismissal or the penalty runs. They retain this discretion.

This menu of options means that "hit the ball twice" is not purely about a dismissal — it is part of a broader framework for dealing with deliberate interference with the natural course of a delivery.

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Law 34 Explained Simply

Strip away the legal language, and Law 34 comes down to a few simple principles:

1. You get one shot at the ball per delivery.
2. If the ball is going to hit your stumps after your first shot, you can hit it again — but only to save your wicket, not to score runs or redirect it.
3. If you hit the ball a second time for any other reason, you can be given out.
4. If the second hit goes toward or hits a fielder, the fielding side can claim five penalty runs.
5. Accidental second contacts (the ball clips your bat again as it passes) are not covered — the action must be wilful.

The law is designed to prevent a specific type of gamesmanship: a batsman using a second hit to deny fielders a catch, to redirect the ball for runs, or to otherwise gain an unfair advantage from a delivery that has already been played. Since that gamesmanship essentially never happens at professional level, the dismissal essentially never occurs.

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Quick Reference Table

Rule	Detail
Governing law	Law 34 (MCC Laws of Cricket)
Legal second hit	Allowed if solely to guard the wicket (prevent ball hitting stumps)
Illegal second hit	Any second hit for another purpose (scoring, avoiding fielder, etc.)
Method if illegal	Fielding side can appeal for dismissal, or claim 5 penalty runs
Does second hit need to be wilful?	Yes — accidental contact is not covered
"Person" covered?	Yes — second hit with any body part also covered
Runs scored from legal second hit?	No — runs cannot be scored from a second hit, even a legal one
How common in international cricket?	Essentially never — no confirmed dismissal in modern Test cricket
DRS applicable?	Yes — fielding side can review if appeal rejected
Related law	Law 37 (Obstructing the Field) — overlaps in some interference scenarios

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Frequently Asked Questions

If the batsman hits the ball twice accidentally — say it bounces off the bat twice — are they out? No. The law specifically requires that the second hit be wilful. An accidental second contact where the ball clips the bat again without the batsman choosing to swing does not constitute hitting the ball twice under Law 34.

Can runs be scored off a second hit, even a legal one (protecting the stumps)? No. The law explicitly states that no runs can be scored from a second hit, even when that hit is legal (to protect the wicket). If the ball travels to the boundary after a legal second hit, those runs are not counted. If the second hit was illegal and it strikes a fielder, the fielding side can claim five penalty runs — but these are penalty runs, not runs scored off the bat.

Could a batsman deliberately hit the ball twice to prevent a catch? In theory, yes — and this would be a violation of Law 34 (and potentially Law 37 as well). If a batsman hits the ball, it loops up toward a fielder, and the batsman hits it again to prevent the catch, they can be given out hit the ball twice. The fielding side could also choose to claim penalty runs instead. In practice, this scenario almost never occurs because the timing required is extremely difficult and batsmen are not inclined to do this instinctively.

Is "hit the ball twice" the same as "obstructing the field" in practice? They overlap in some scenarios but are legally distinct. Hit the ball twice specifically involves a second physical strike of the ball by the batsman. Obstructing the field covers a broader range of interference, including physical blocking, vocal distraction, and deflecting throws. A second hit that deflects a ball toward a fielder might trigger both laws, but the fielding side can only pursue one avenue — they cannot get both a dismissal and penalty runs from the same action.

Would DRS help confirm a hit the ball twice dismissal? Yes. If the fielding side appeals for hit the ball twice and the on-field umpire rejects the appeal, the fielding side could use DRS to have the third umpire review the evidence — particularly whether the second hit was wilful. Camera footage and slow-motion replays would be the primary evidence reviewed.

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Conclusion

Hit the ball twice is cricket's theoretical dismissal — a law that exists on paper in meticulous detail but has barely ever been applied in the highest levels of the game. Its rarity is not a flaw in the law; it is a reflection of cricket at its best. Professional batsmen do not need to be protected from their own instinct to re-hit balls deliberately, because the incentive to do so simply does not exist in normal competitive play.

What the law does do is close a potential loophole. Without it, a batsman could theoretically knock a ball out of a fielder's hands with a second swing, or redirect a ball mid-flight to score additional runs. Law 34 makes clear that such actions would not be tolerated.

For more cricket rules explained clearly, visit our complete cricket rules guide, or read about other unusual dismissals including obstructing the field and timed out.

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Sources:

• MCC Laws of Cricket — Law 34: Hit the Ball Twice
• ESPNcricinfo — Dismissal types in cricket
• ICC Playing Conditions