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Distracted by shadows "Problems always start at one particular ground if it's a sunny day. The way the square there is laid out means that, late in the afternoon, any close-in fielder will nearly always cast a shadow over the pitch, and the opposition's batsmen invariably object, saying that the movement of the fielder's shadow is a distraction. What do the Laws say about this?" A fielder may not have any part of his person grounded on, or extended over, the pitch. While his shadow is not 'part of his person', he must ensure he - and therefore it - remains still and does not distract the striker from the moment the bowler starts his run-up until the striker has attempted to play the ball. Failure to do this will be met by the umpire insisting he remain perfectly still or the distraction will be deemed deliberate and Penalty runs may be awarded Read more about Law 28.5 (The fielder) and Law 41.4 (Unfair play - Delibrate distraction by the fielder) at the MCC website