No. In a two-innings match scheduled for five days or more, provided play began on the first day, a first-innings lead of at least 200 runs gives the side that batted first the option to require the follow-on. It does not impose the follow-on automatically. The decision must be notified to the opposing captain and the umpires, and that notification cannot then be changed. This summary follows the scope of MCC Law 14 on the follow-on.
What the 200-run threshold means
The threshold is a condition for having the option, not an instruction to use it. The lead is found by subtracting the second team’s completed first-innings total from the first team’s total. If the result is 200 or more, the first team may require the second team to bat again immediately rather than beginning its own second innings.
Hypothetical example: option available
Example: In a five-day match with play on day one, Team A makes 400 in its first innings. Team B makes 190. The calculation is 400 minus 190, producing a lead of 210. Because 210 is at least 200, Team A has the follow-on option. It is still a choice: the figures alone do not prove that the follow-on will be enforced.
Hypothetical example: option unavailable
Example: Under the same stated match conditions, Team A makes 400 and Team B makes 205. The calculation is 400 minus 205, producing a lead of 195. Although Team A leads, it has not reached the 200-run threshold, so this rule does not provide the follow-on option.
These examples show only whether the threshold is met. They do not establish what a captain must choose, and they do not address shorter scheduled matches, modified competition conditions, or matches affected by no play. A competition’s playing conditions may differ from this general Law 14 scope.