The cricket follow-on rule is a provision in a two-innings match that allows the team batting first to ask the opposition to bat again immediately after completing its first innings. Instead of following the usual order of innings, the team that batted second can be required to play its second innings before the team that batted first gets another turn to bat.
The follow-on is only available when the team batting first has established the required lead over its opponent. The minimum lead depends on the scheduled duration of the match. In a five-day or longer match, the team must lead by at least 200 runs to have the option of enforcing the follow-on. The captain can choose whether to enforce it, and the decision becomes final once it has been communicated to the opposing captain and umpires.
What is the Follow-On Rule in Cricket?
The follow-on rule in cricket allows the team that bats first to make the opposition bat for its second innings before the first team’s second innings begins.
Normally, the innings alternate. For example, Team A bats first, Team B bats second, Team A bats third and Team B bats fourth. However, if Team A has a sufficiently large first-innings lead, its captain can require Team B to bat again immediately. This means the batting order becomes:
Team A first innings → Team B first innings → Team B second innings → Team A second innings
The follow-on is an option available to the team with the required first-innings lead. It is not automatically enforced when the required lead is reached.
What is the Follow-On Lead in Cricket?
The minimum lead required to enforce the follow-on depends on the number of scheduled days in the match. For a standard five-day Test match, the team batting first must lead by at least 200 runs after both teams have completed their first innings. The same principle applies to shorter two-innings matches, but the required lead is reduced according to the match duration.
| Match duration | Minimum lead required |
| 5 days or more | 200 runs |
| 3 or 4 days | 150 runs |
| 2 days | 100 runs |
| 1 day | 75 runs |
How Does the Follow-On Work?
Suppose Team A bats first in a five-day match and scores 450 runs. Team B then scores 220 runs. Team A has a first-innings lead of: 450 − 220 = 230 runs
Because the lead is more than the required 200 runs, Team A has the option to enforce the follow-on. If Team A’s captain chooses to enforce it, Team B must bat again immediately. Team A does not begin its second innings at that point.
If Team A chooses not to enforce the follow-on, the normal sequence of innings continues and Team A bats for the second time. Therefore, reaching the required lead gives the captain an option, not an obligation, to enforce the follow-on.
Read More: Cricket No Ball Rules
Can a Team Enforce the Follow-On With Exactly 200 Runs?
Yes. In a two-innings match of five days or more, a team that leads by at least 200 runs after the first innings has the option of enforcing the follow-on. This means that a lead of exactly 200 runs is enough; the team does not need to lead by more than 200 runs.
For example, if Team A scores 500 runs in its first innings and Team B is dismissed for 300, Team A has a lead of exactly 200 runs. Team A’s captain can therefore ask Team B to bat again immediately. If Team A had scored 499 and Team B 300, the lead would be 199 runs, so the follow-on option would not be available in a five-day match.
The same principle applies to shorter two-innings matches, although the minimum lead changes according to the scheduled duration of the match.
Is the Follow-On Mandatory?
No, the follow-on is not mandatory. Reaching the required first-innings lead only gives the team the option to enforce it. The captain can instead choose to have their team bat for the second innings in the normal order.
For example, if Team A leads Team B by 250 runs in a five-day match, Team A can either enforce the follow-on or begin its second innings. The Laws do not require the captain to choose one option over the other.
If the captain decides to enforce the follow-on, the decision must be communicated to the opposing captain and the umpires. Once that notification has been made, the decision cannot be changed.
How is the Follow-On Enforced?
The follow-on is enforced by the captain of the team that has achieved the required first-innings lead. The captain must notify the opposing captain and the umpires that they intend to take up the follow-on option. This notification is an important part of the procedure under Law 14.
Once the captain has given this notification, the decision cannot be changed. Therefore, a captain cannot announce the follow-on and later decide to send their own team in to bat instead.
The rule ensures that both teams and the umpires know the order in which the remaining innings will be played. The decision must therefore be made clearly once the required lead has been established.
What Happens After the Follow-On?
Once the follow-on has been enforced, the team that batted second in the first innings must bat again. This means the same team has two consecutive innings, while the team that batted first waits before beginning its second innings.
For example, suppose Team A scores 550 runs, and Team B scores 300. Team A has a first-innings lead of 250 runs, which is enough to enforce the follow-on in a five-day match. If Team A chooses to enforce it, the order becomes:
- Team A: 550 runs
- Team B: 300 runs
- Team B: second innings
- Team A: second innings
The follow-on does not give Team B an extra innings. In a two-innings match, each side still has a maximum of two innings. It simply changes the normal order in which those innings are played. Under Law 13, innings normally alternate, except where the follow-on or forfeiture provisions apply.
The eventual result is determined by the scores from the completed innings, according to the Laws governing results in a two-innings match.
What If the First Day of a Match is Lost?
The follow-on lead can change if no play takes place on the first scheduled day of a match lasting more than one day. Law 14.3 states that the follow-on requirement then applies according to the number of days remaining when play begins.
Importantly, the day on which play first begins is counted as a whole day, regardless of what time play starts. For example, if rain prevents any play throughout the first day of a four-day match, the follow-on requirement is determined using the number of days remaining when play starts.
The Law also specifies when play is considered to have taken place. Once the umpires have called Play and the first over has started, play is considered to have taken place for the purpose of this provision. This provision is important because the follow-on threshold is linked to the remaining duration of the match, rather than simply the original number of scheduled days.
Follow-On vs Normal Innings Order
In a normal two-innings match, the teams bat alternately. This means the team batting first completes its first innings, followed by the opponent’s first innings, before the first team begins its second innings.
The follow-on changes this sequence when the team batting first has the required lead and chooses to enforce it.
| Situation | Batting order |
| Normal two-innings match | A → B → A → B |
| Follow-on enforced | A → B → B → A |
For example, if Team A scores 450 and Team B scores 220 in a five-day match, Team A leads by 230 runs. If the follow-on is enforced, Team B bats again immediately instead of Team A starting its second innings.
The follow-on therefore does not add another innings to the match. It only changes the sequence in which the two teams’ innings are played.
Why is the Follow-On Used in Cricket?
The Laws of Cricket do not specify that a captain must enforce the follow-on for a particular reason. Once the required first-innings lead has been achieved, the decision belongs to the captain of the team with the lead.
From a cricket-strategy perspective, enforcing the follow-on allows a team with a substantial first-innings advantage to send the opposition back to the crease immediately. The captain may choose this instead of having their own team bat for a second time straight away.
However, the follow-on also changes the sequence of the match. If it is enforced, the team that batted second must bat again before the team with the first-innings lead gets its second innings. The Laws themselves do not state that enforcing the follow-on is required or prescribe the tactical circumstances in which it should be used.
The key rule is therefore simple: the required first-innings lead creates the option, while the captain decides whether to enforce it.
Conclusion
The cricket follow-on rule allows a team with a sufficiently large first-innings lead to require its opponent to bat again immediately. In a five-day or longer two-innings match, the required lead is 200 runs. For shorter matches, the threshold is lower.
The follow-on is an option available to the captain, not an automatic requirement. Once the captain informs the opposing captain and umpires that the follow-on will be enforced, however, that decision cannot be changed. These provisions are set out in Law 14 of the Laws of Cricket.
Download Playo on Android or iOS, or visit playo.co to start playing!
Frequently Asked Questions
The follow-on allows the team that bats first and gains the required first-innings lead to make the opposition bat for its second innings immediately instead of batting itself again.
In a five-day or longer two-innings match, the team batting first needs a lead of at least 200 runs to have the option of enforcing the follow-on.
No. A 200-run lead gives the captain the option to enforce the follow-on. The captain can also choose to bat again instead.
No. Once the captain has notified the opposing captain and the umpires that the follow-on will be enforced, the decision cannot be changed.
No. Law 14 applies to two-innings matches generally, with different minimum leads based on the scheduled duration of the match. The minimum is 200 runs for matches of five days or more, 150 for three or four days, 100 for two days and 75 for one day.
