A video of Fanyan Mughal as he hit the ball twice has gone viral
In international cricket history, the first-ever “hit the ball twice” dismissal occurred three months before Mathews’ iconic “timed out” incident during the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Most likely, the narrative started during a match at Horsted Keynes on August 28, 1624. West Hoathly’s Edward Tye once hit a ball. He took another swing while the ball was still in the air, striking Hosted Keynes fielder Jasper Vinall in the head. Vinall became the first person to be known to have died from an event on a cricket pitch, thirteen days after the match. Henry Brand died in a similar occurrence in Selsley, West Sussex, in 1647.
Fanyan Mughal given out after he hit the ball twice, video goes viral
Fanyan Mughal's historic double-hit in all its beautiful glory:https://t.co/GiUeSVEgWl https://t.co/qTXjuIhdvd
— Nick Friend (@NickFriend1) November 6, 2023
WATCH the only Hitting The Ball Twice dismissal in international cricket — when Malta's Fanyan Mughal got out against Romania in the 2023 Men's Continental Cup on 20 August 2023 pic.twitter.com/PFerZJOM4u
— Dhaarmik (@DhaarmikAi) November 6, 2023
The “hit the ball twice” dismissal
Although it’s unclear if these instances had an impact on the original 1744 Laws of Cricket, one of its mentions is that “if a ball is nipped up and the batter strikes it again wilfully before it comes to the wicket, it’s out.”
The present version of Law 34 is not all that different. The striker is out if he/she hits the ball twice while the ball is in play or if the ball strikes any part of his/her or is struck by his/her bat before the ball has been touched by a fielder or the striker wilfully strikes it again with his/her bat, other than a hand not holding the bat, except for the sole purpose of guarding his/her wicket.
The first player to be given out in this way in first-class cricket was Tom Sueter, one of the first truly exceptional wicketkeepers, in 1786. 23 occurrences have occurred as of the time of writing. In addition, the list features notable figures like Dick Barlow, Dick Lilley, and Zaheer Abbas. The only batters on List A cricket are Kurt Wilkinson of Barbados and Imran Ali of the Lahore Blues.
However, during a Twenty20 international match at the 2023 Continental Cup in Romania, there was the first incidence in both international and Twenty20 cricket. That day, Malta got off to a cautious start and reached 44-1 after 6.5 overs. Fanyan Mughal took a swing, and Shantanu Vashisht, a medium pacer, bowled on the leg stump. Mughal was hit by a ball that lobbed close to his feet off his bat. Romanian wicketkeeper Satvik Nadigotla raced to catch the ball.
Mughal stroked the ball aside, perhaps out of instinct. Following an appeal by the Romanian team, Mughal was given out for hitting the ball twice. “Absolutely unprofessional,” the pundit criticized. Malta eventually scored 156-7, a total Romania exceeded with nine balls remaining and nine wickets claimed.