In a five-day, two-innings cricket match, the team batting first can make its opponent bat again immediately if it leads by at least 200 runs after the first innings. This is the follow-on. It is an option for the leading captain, rather than an automatic consequence of a large deficit. Shorter two-innings matches have different minimum leads, and a completely lost opening day can change which threshold applies.
The governing provision is Law 14 in MCC's Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, fourth edition 2026. The distinction between match length and innings count matters: the reference to a one-day match in this law concerns a two-innings contest, not an ordinary one-innings limited-overs game.
| Length of two-innings match | Minimum first-innings lead |
|---|---|
| Five days or more | 200 runs |
| Three or four days | 150 runs |
| Two days | 100 runs |
| One day | 75 runs |
How is the follow-on score calculated?
Subtract the second team's completed first-innings total from the first team's total. That difference is the lead used for the follow-on decision. There is no percentage calculation and no relationship to the scoring rate. In a five-day match, a lead of exactly 200 qualifies because the law says the lead must be at least that amount.
Consider a hypothetical match in which Team A bats first and scores 450. If Team B finishes its first innings on 250, A leads by 200 and can enforce the follow-on. If B instead finishes on 251, the lead is 199 and the option is unavailable under the five-day threshold. These are worked examples, not scores from a reported match.
Another way to answer the familiar question, "How many runs are needed to avoid the follow-on?", is to start with A's total. Against 450 in a five-day match, B must reach at least 251 to bring the deficit below 200. Reaching 250 is insufficient. The calculation is about avoiding eligibility; it does not predict what the opposing captain will decide.
Is enforcing the follow-on compulsory?
No. The law gives the team batting first the choice to require the opponent to follow its innings. If the captain declines, the usual sequence continues with that captain's own team batting again. A scoreboard can therefore show a deficit large enough for the follow-on without the trailing side being sent straight back out to bat.
If the option is used, the order becomes A's first innings, B's first innings and B's second innings, with A's second innings following if required. The rule changes the sequence of innings. It does not deduct runs, award an extra innings or itself decide the result. A big first-innings lead should not be confused with a completed victory.
Law 14.2 also makes the communication decisive. The captain must notify the opposing captain and the umpires of the intention to enforce the follow-on. Once that notification has been given, the decision cannot be reversed. An on-screen discussion of whether the captain might enforce it is therefore different from the formal decision.
What happens if the first day is washed out?
Law 14.3 covers a match of more than one day's duration in which no play takes place on the opening day. The minimum lead is then determined by the days remaining when play starts. If a scheduled five-day match begins on its second day after the entire first day is lost, four days remain and the threshold becomes 150.
The day on which play first begins counts as a whole day for this purpose, regardless of the start time. Suppose the first day is entirely lost and play finally starts late on day two. That second day is still counted when working out the remaining duration. Readers should not try to convert the hours left into fractions of a day.
The law also specifies when play has taken place: after the call of Play, the first over must have started. A delayed start is therefore different from an opening day on which play actually begins and rain arrives later. The lost-first-day provision should not be applied simply because some subsequent playing time disappears.
Which rule should viewers check for a particular competition?
MCC's official introduction to the Laws explains that competition playing regulations can create differences from the underlying laws. This guide explains the MCC baseline. For a particular international or domestic fixture, read its applicable playing conditions alongside Law 14 rather than assuming every competition has identical administrative provisions.
For related cricket questions, see our guides to DRS and Umpire's Call and calculating net run rate. Our hockey penalty corner explainer covers another rule that can be difficult to follow during a broadcast.
