In cricket, a team who batted second and scored significantly fewer runs than the team who batted first may be forced to follow-on: to take their second innings immediately after their first. The follow-on can be enforced by the team who batted first, and is intended to reduce the probability of a drawn result, by allowing the second team's second innings to be completed sooner and to avoid a team who were significantly better in their first innings from having to declare their second innings closed so they can attempt to win the match, giving the inferior team an undeserved advantage.
| Normal sequence | Follow-on sequence | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Team A's first innings | 1. | Team A's first innings |
| 2. | Team B's first innings | 2. | Team B's first innings |
| 3. | Team A's second innings | 3. | Team B's second innings |
| 4. | Team B's second innings (if required) | 4. | Team A's second innings (if required) |
The follow-on occurs only in those forms of cricket where each team normally bats twice: notably in domestic first class cricket and international Test cricket. In these forms of cricket, a team cannot win a match unless at least three innings have been completed. If fewer than three innings are completed by the scheduled end of play, the result of the match can only be a draw.
The decision to enforce the follow-on is made by the captain of the team who batted first, who considers the score, the apparent strength of the two sides, the conditions of weather and the pitch, and the time remaining.
The rules governing the circumstances in which the follow-on may be enforced are found in Law 14 of the Laws of Cricket.