A ‘Viewing Room Only’ that can hold no more than a dozen people doubling up as the press box. An additional ‘Viewing Area’ in the stands with only seats, a ‘Filing Room’ insulated from the action, television the only source of information, and no internet facilities, not even for a price. That was what the Manuka Oval had to offer upwards of 50 mediapersons — print and television — from Australia, Sri Lanka and India during the India-Lanka tri-series game on Tuesday.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) CA, entrusted with the conduct of the game, cut a sorry figure on this count even as it covered itself with glory in matters cricketing. Cricket Australia is as culpable as the local association, especially given it prides itself on a ‘professional’ approach. Maybe, the fact that it was a non-Australia game and therefore a majority of the Aussie media was absent was why neither CA nor ACTCA was even remotely interested in addressing glaring media inadequacies.

India’s current tour is now into its ninth week. CA is aware of the size of the Indian media contingent, and the ACTCA had first-hand knowledge too with the Indians playing an Invitational XI in a three-day tie here a month back. Their lack of preparedness is therefore hard to explain. General apathy, perhaps.

That it is only the second international game ever at the Manuka Oval, and the first since the South Africa-Zimbabwe match in the 1992 World Cup, should alone have been incentive enough for the ACTCA to pull out all stops and put on a show. It is unimaginable for an international fixture to be conducted in a facility with such abysmal media facilities in most parts of the world, and most certainly anywhere in India. Saying that, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) too is hardly blemishless, considering it agreed to Canberra as a venue without checking if all international standards were met.

Even the Australian Cricket Media Association (ACMA) was embarrassed enough by the lack of media facilities to dash off a letter to Cricket Australia expressing its ‘disappointment’ at ‘dropping the ball’ in this particular regard. Given CA’s propensity for living in denial, that complaint is unlikely to be received either warmly, or in the right spirit.