On this day in 1999: Daryl Cullinan gets out handling the ball in an ODI

Cricket’s history is vast and so are the rules of the game. While dismissals like bowled, caught and leg-before-wicket come into play in almost every match, there are some dismissals that are observed in rare situations. One of them is handing the ball. As per this norm, a batter can be given out for handling the ball if he/she, while playing a delivery, intentionally touches the ball with one or both of their hands not holding the bat.

In ODI history, only three such dismissals have been recorded and one of them took place on this very day (January 27) in 1999 during an ODI match between South Africa and West Indies at the Kingsmead in Durban. With the seven-match series being levelled at 1-1, both sides were eyeing to take the lead in the third game. The coin landed in South Africa’s favour and skipper Hansie Cronje had no hesitation in batting first.

Daryll Cullinan second player to be dismissed handling the ball in ODIs

Daryll Cullinan and Herschelle Gibbs opened for the home team and gave them a steady start. They added 49 runs as Gibbs perished for 29. However, Cullinan was standing strong at one end and looked determined to post a substantial score. Well, little did the right-handed batter know, he was dismissed in a bizarre fashion.

Facing spinner Keith Arthurton in the 27th over, Cullinan tried to defend the ball but only managed to get a bottom edge. The ball, after hitting the ground, bounced up in the air, and Cullinan’s reflexes made him catch the ball with one hand. He then passed the ball back to Arthurton. The batsman certainly didn’t have any excuse for his actions as the ball doesn’t seem like going onto the stumps. Also, he had plenty of time to tackle the ball.

Had he decided to protect his stumps with the bat or pad, his stay at the crease would have been prolonged. However, the ‘brain fade’ made him catch the ball and he subsequently had to walk back for a 64-ball 46, declared out for handling the ball. This way, Cullinan became the second player after India’s Mohinder Amarnath to get out in this bizarre fashion. Zimbabwe’s Chamu Chibhabha is the only other player to have lost his wicket in this fashion in ODIs. He was found guilty of handling the ball during a game against Afghanistan in 2015.