The game of cricket has evolved over the years with the newest technology being bought in to improve technique and ability. However, the traditional names of all the fielding positions and areas on the ground still remain the same. One of the most intriguing and interesting fielding positions on the field is the Third Man position, the one square of the keeper to the batsman’s offside.
Any idea how the name came out? We have the answer:
The job of the third man is to basically negate any runs that may occur due to the ball going behind the slips or the gully fielders. When the ball goes behind them, another person is required to prevent the ball from going to the boundary. The ball travels very quickly around slips and, in limited-overs cricket, third-man is a very important position because lots of edges fly towards between or over the top of the slips.
When nobody knows how the term came up, it is suggested that when overarm bowler was introduced, there was the need of a “third man” or “third fielder” to complement the slips and the gully. Thus, that is how the term, “Third man” was coined.
