The International Cricket Council (ICC) has clarified that the follow-on rule will not change if play is washed out on Day One of the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Which would normally be in other Test matches since there is a reserve day in the WTC final. India and New Zealand will face each other in the WTC finals from June 18-23 in Southampton, England.
Normal ICC Rules
According to Clause 14.1: “In a two-innings match of 5 days or more, the side which bats first and leads by at least 200 runs shall have the option of requiring the other side to follow their innings. The same option shall be available in two-innings matches of shorter duration with the minimum leads as follows: 150 runs in a match of 3 or 4 days, 100 runs in a 2-day match, 75 runs in one day match.
Clause 14.3 states that: “If no play takes place on the first and second days of the match, clause 14.1 shall apply in accordance with the number of days remaining from the start of play. The day on which play first commences shall count as a whole day for this purpose, irrespective of the time at which play starts.”
Rules Change for the World Test Championship final
“Clause 14.3 has been amended so that the first innings lead of at least 200 runs will only change to 150 runs if no play takes place on the first and second scheduled days of the match. Normally this will occur if only the first day’s play is lost, but with the provision of a reserve day, it remains a 5-day match even if the first day is lost.”
So, if the first day’s play is washed out, then teams can only enforce a follow-on if they have a lead of 200 runs as the addition of a reserve day makes it a 5-day game. If the first two days are washed out, only then can a follow-on be enforced with a lead of 150+ runs.
The ICC already announced that one extra day has been added for the WTC final which will take place from June 18-22 with June 23 being the reserve day. So, even if a day of play is completely washed away, the WTC final can still be a full five-day match. Recently, the apex world cricket body said if the final ends in a draw or tie, then both teams will be declared joint winners.