GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
When may a captain enforce the follow-on, and does a lost first day change the required lead?
In a two-innings match, the side batting first may enforce the follow-on when its first-innings lead reaches the duration-based minimum: 200 runs in a match of five or more days, 150 in a three- or four-day match, 100 in a two-day match, or 75 in a one-day match. If no play takes place on the first day of a match longer than one day, use the days remaining from the start of play; the day play first begins counts as a whole day. Play counts once the first over has started after the call of Play. The captain must notify the opposing captain and umpires, and the choice cannot then be changed. This describes the MCC Laws of Cricket, 2017 Code, fourth edition (2026), effective 1 October 2026. That date does not establish that every clause is new or that a particular competition has adopted it; check the competition’s Playing Conditions.
For Viewers learning why a side may be required to bat again before its opponent. · Updated
The minimum lead depends on match length
The follow-on is an option for the side that batted first in a two-innings match, not a general power to make an opponent bat again in any format. The first-innings lead must meet the relevant minimum.
- Five or more days: 200 runs.
- Three or four days: 150 runs.
- Two days: 100 runs.
- One day: 75 runs.
A completely lost first day can change the day count
For a match scheduled to last more than one day, if no play takes place on the first day, apply the thresholds using the number of days remaining from when play actually starts. The day on which play first begins counts as a whole day, regardless of the time.
The Law says play has taken place after the call of Play once the first over has started. Under the start-of-over rule, that is when the bowler begins the run-up, or, if there is no run-up, begins the action for the over’s first delivery. Completion of that delivery is not required for the over to have started.
The captain’s notice makes the choice final
To enforce the follow-on, the captain notifies the opposing captain and the umpires. Once that notice is given, the decision cannot be changed. Check the competition’s own Playing Conditions before applying these thresholds to an event.
Two fictional three-day schedules
Assume both fictional matches use this MCC edition without a relevant Playing Condition change. In the first, no play takes place on Day 1 and play starts on Day 2. Two days remain from the start of play, so the 100-run two-day threshold applies; a stipulated first-innings lead of 105 meets that threshold. In a separate three-day match, after the call of Play on Day 1 the bowler starts the first run-up, but the delivery is not completed. The first over has started, so play has taken place and the match remains on the three-day 150-run threshold. These invented facts do not recommend a captain’s tactic.
Related questions
Does the first delivery have to be completed for play to count on Day 1?
No. Play has taken place once the first over starts after the call of Play; the over starts at the bowler’s run-up or delivery action.
Can a captain reverse a follow-on notice?
No. Once the opposing captain and umpires are notified, the decision cannot be changed.