Use the correct duration threshold
The MCC 2026 code sets a minimum lead of 200 runs for a two-innings match scheduled for five days or more. The minimum is 150 for three or four days, 100 for two days and 75 for one day. These are follow-on thresholds for two-innings cricket, rather than target calculations for a limited-overs chase.
A graphic showing the required follow-on score describes whether the option remains available. It does not announce that a captain has exercised it. Keep the innings totals and the captain’s eventual decision separate: a side with the necessary lead can choose to bat again in the ordinary sequence.
A completely lost first day has a specific rule
Law 14.3 addresses a match of more than one day in which no play occurs on the first day. The relevant duration then follows the days remaining from the start of play. The first day on which play starts counts as a whole day for this purpose, regardless of how late that start occurs.
The law defines play as having occurred once, after the call of Play, the first over has started. That is a narrower question than whether a meaningful amount of cricket was possible. Do not automatically reduce the threshold simply because much of the first day was washed out if play did in fact begin.
Follow the notified decision
To enforce the follow-on, the captain must notify the opposing captain and the umpires. Once notified, that decision cannot be changed. A commentator discussing whether to enforce it and an official notification are therefore different stages of the decision.
The MCC source was checked on 4 November 2026; use the actual competition’s playing conditions and match duration when applying it to a recording. An innings lead, the option to alter batting order and the final match result are separate facts. None can be inferred just from a clip labelled follow-on highlights.