The Follow-On in Test Cricket: What It Is and When It Is Enforced
The follow-on lets a team with a big first-innings lead make its opponents bat again immediately, instead of batting a second time itself. It is covered by Law 14 of the Laws of Cricket.
How big must the lead be?
The required lead depends on the length of the match:
- 200 runs in a match of five days or more, such as a Test
- 150 runs in a three- or four-day match
- 100 runs in a two-day match
- 75 runs in a one-day match
The captain of the leading side decides. The follow-on is an option, never an obligation.
Why enforce it?
Enforcing the follow-on saves time. The leading team does not have to bat again, so there are more overs left to bowl the opponents out a second time and win the match. It also piles pressure on a batting side that has just collapsed.
Why captains often decline
Modern captains often choose to bat again instead. Their reasons:
- Their bowlers have just bowled a full innings and may be tired.
- Batting last on a worn pitch on day four or five is usually hardest, and they want the opponents to face that.
- A lead of 400 or more removes almost any chance of losing.
The comeback that changed attitudes
In 2001 at Kolkata, Australia enforced the follow-on against India with a lead of 274. VVS Laxman made 281 and Rahul Dravid 180 in a stand of 376, and Harbhajan Singh then took six wickets as India won by 171 runs. It is one of only a handful of Test wins by a team that followed on, and it made many captains more cautious about enforcing it.
As of 2026, only four Test matches have been won by the side following on: England twice against Australia, in 1894 and 1981, India against Australia in 2001, and New Zealand against England in 2023, when they won by one run in Wellington.
Lost time and the follow-on
If the first day of a match is lost entirely to weather, the follow-on margin is based on the days that remain. A five-day Test that loses its whole first day uses the 150-run margin.
For more on how Test matches are decided, read our cricket rules guide and the story of the first Test match.