Sound check for Redbacks

Can there be such a thing as over-preparation? The Redbacks of South Australia, currently gearing up for the Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa, may be pushing the boundaries. They have apparently been training under “high intensity conditions” with the recorded noise of vuvuzelas blasting through the speakers during the sessions in Adelaide Oval’s Indoor Cricket centre. This, at a time when the rest of the sports world – rugby leading the way – is shrinking from the ear-splitting din of the monotonous plastic instrument, which drove players, backroom staff, the media and even fellow spectators to distraction during the World Cup. It’s unlikely the Champions League Twenty20 will experience that sort of noise level, if only because the crowds will be smaller. Still, the Redbacks are taking no chances and have scheduled their last vuvuzela training session on Tuesday. Overkill? They may yet have the last laugh – but it’s possible that they will first have very sore ears.