Cricket Follow-On Calculator

Enter the first-innings total and the length of the match to find the follow-on lead threshold and the runs the second team needs to avoid following on.

Quick Facts

Rule (Law 14)
Follow-on margin: 200 (5+ days), 150 (3–4 days), 100 (2 days), 75 (1 day)
The second team avoids the follow-on by reaching (first total − margin + 1).

Your Results

Calculated
Runs needed to avoid follow-on
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First total − margin + 1
Follow-on margin
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Lead the first team must hold
Second team still needs
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From runs entered above
Follow-on status
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Based on runs entered

Ready

Enter the first-innings total and match length, then calculate.

What the follow-on is

The follow-on is a rule in multi-innings cricket (Test and first-class matches) that lets the side batting first, if it holds a large enough first-innings lead, ask the side batting second to bat again immediately rather than taking its own second innings. Enforcing the follow-on is a way to press an advantage: it keeps the trailing team on the field, uses up match time, and can set up an innings victory. This tool tells you the exact lead required and the score the second side must reach to be safe.

The formula

The follow-on is governed by Law 14 of the Laws of Cricket. The captain of the side batting first may enforce the follow-on when the opposition trails by at least a fixed margin that depends on the scheduled length of the match:

  • 200 runs — matches of five days or more (this covers every Test match)
  • 150 runs — matches of three or four days
  • 100 runs — matches of two days
  • 75 runs — matches of one day (single-innings-per-side timed matches)

The lead is measured as first team total − second team total. So the runs the second team needs to avoid the follow-on are:

Runs to be safe = First-innings total − margin + 1.

The "+1" matters: trailing by exactly the margin still permits the follow-on. If the first team makes 400 in a Test, a lead of 200 or more is enough, which happens when the second team is dismissed for 200 or fewer. So the second team must reach 201 (400 − 200 + 1) to remove the option.

Worked example

Suppose the first team scores 520 in a Test (200-run margin). The threshold is 520 − 200 + 1 = 321. If the second team is bowled out for 300, they trail by 220 — that is 200 or more, so they can be asked to follow on. Had they reached 321, they would trail by only 199 and be safe. In a three-day match the same 520 total would use the 150 margin, giving a threshold of 371.

Why captains do or don't enforce it

The rule gives an option, not an obligation. Even with a lead well past the margin, a captain may decline the follow-on to rest tired bowlers, to bat on a pitch that is still good before it deteriorates, or to avoid batting last on a worn surface. Famously, teams that enforce the follow-on almost always win, but a handful of sides — most notably Australia against England at Headingley in 1981 and India against Australia at Kolkata in 2001 — have lost after enforcing it, which is why the decision is treated with caution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the follow-on margin always 200 runs?
No. 200 runs applies only to matches scheduled for five days or more, which includes all Tests. The margin drops to 150 for three- or four-day matches, 100 for two-day matches, and 75 for one-day (single-innings timed) matches. Select the correct match length in the calculator to get the right threshold.
Does a rain-shortened or delayed match change the margin?
The margin is set by the number of days the match was scheduled to last, not by how many are actually played. Law 14 also provides that if the first day's play is entirely lost, the match is treated as one of a shorter duration for follow-on purposes — for example a Test that loses its whole first day is treated as a four-day match, so the margin becomes 150.
Is the team asked to follow on forced to bat again?
Yes. When the fielding captain enforces the follow-on, the trailing side must take its second innings straight away. The choice belongs entirely to the side that leads; the trailing side has no say.
Does the follow-on exist in limited-overs cricket?
No. One Day Internationals and T20s give each side a single innings, so there is no second innings to enforce. The follow-on applies only to two-innings-per-side formats: Tests and other first-class and multi-day matches.

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