Four Test matches won after teams were forced to follow-on

England defeated Australia at the Sydney Cricket Stadium in December 1894 in the first Test when a side secured victory after being forced to follow-on, and similar comebacks later occurred at Headingley in 1981, Eden Gardens in March 2001 and Wellington in February 2023.

Test cricket began more than a century ago with the first Test between England and Australia in 1877 and is played over five days; one special rule in the format is the follow-on, which allows the team batting first to require the opposition to bat again immediately if it leads by more than 200 runs after the first innings. Enforcing the follow-on is at the captain’s discretion and, once chosen, cannot be reversed; teams asked to follow on typically face a difficult situation, yet there have been four occasions when the forced side went on to win.

The earliest instance came at the Sydney Cricket Stadium in December 1894, when Jack Blackham’s Australia batted first and scored 586, powered by George Giffen’s 161 and Syd Gregory’s 201. Australia then dismissed England for 325 and enforced the follow-on, but the Andrew Stoddart-led England responded with 437 in the second innings thanks to Albert Ward’s 117 and Jack Brown’s 53, setting Australia 177 to win. Left-arm spinner Bobby Peel took six wickets as Australia were all out for 166, and England won by 10 runs.

At Headingley in 1981, Kim Hughes’s Australia batted first and declared on 401 for 9 after John Dyson made 102 and Hughes and Graham Yallop scored 89 and 58 respectively; England were then bowled out for 174 and asked to follow on. England produced 356 in their second innings, leaving a target of 130, and Australia collapsed to 111 all out, losing by 18 runs; Bob Willis took eight wickets and Ian Botham’s unbeaten 149 earned him the Player of the Match award.

India became the second nation to win after being forced to follow on during the second Test of the three-match series at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in March 2001, when Australia had made 445 after electing to bat first and then dismissed India for 171 to gain a lead of 274. Following the follow-on, India compiled 657 for 7 declared with VVS Laxman’s 281 and Rahul Dravid’s 180, setting Australia 384; the Steve Waugh-led visitors were then bowled out for 121, handing India a 171-run victory.

The fourth instance occurred in Wellington in February 2023, when Ben Stokes’s England posted 435 for 8 declared and bowled New Zealand out for 209, enforcing the follow-on. New Zealand replied with 483 in the second innings, anchored by Kane Williamson’s 132, and England were dismissed for 256, falling one run short; Williamson was named Player of the Match.

There have been only four occasions in Test history when a side has won after being forced to follow-on, and those recoveries have been recorded by England, India and New Zealand.