Sri Lanka mutes vuvuzelas

Music is an integral part of the cricket experience in Sri Lanka and the beats of the Papare bands do their bit in keeping the crowds in good humour in the heat. But during the recent ODI between Sri Lanka and India, the sound of music was suppressed in the tumult created by the 'hooters', or as they are known the world over - vuvuzelas.

Commentator Tony Greig expressed his annoyance about the noise while on air and it seems to have perturbed the organisers too as Sri Lanka Cricket announced the ban on all forms of 'portable horns' carried by individuals, citing spectator discomfort as the reason. Vuvuzelas can be upto seven times louder than a chainsaw and could go over the physical pain threshold of 125 decibels.

It is not the first time that vuvuzelas have been muted. After making a deafening debut during the football World Cup in 2010, the horns have been banned from all cricket stadiums in South Africa and Australia, not to mention the Olympics, Wimbledon, English Premier League and UEFA events.