A commonly used fielding position in cricket, just in from the boundary rope well behind the wicket on the off side, roughly behind the slip cordon from the batsman's point of view. The third man's main function is to field the ball if the batsman edges it but it is not stopped by the slips or the wicket keeper, thus preventing a 4 or 6 from being scored, with the occasional chance of taking a catch from a top edge over the slips. The position is mainly employed when a fast bowler is bowling; it is frequently occupied by another bowler who will be bowling the alternate overs from the end at which the batsman is currently on strike.