Mumbai: Cricket lovers, occupying the popular and low-priced East Stands at the Brabourne Stadium, had no proper means to follow the progress of the game in the pre-lunch session of the third and final Test between India and Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

Hosting a Test match after a 36-year-gap, the Cricket Club of India authorities seemed to have glossed over the importance of a manual scoreboard for the East Stand crowd's benefit in the first session.

In fact, the only way to follow the progress of the game, for the East and North Stand crowd numbering around 2000 before lunch, was by leaning forward to the right or left and finding out the score from the electronic screen kept just in front of the old Press Box at ground level.

There was a manual scoreboard right behind the screen but for some strange reason it was not operated.

Post-lunch, and after being told of the need to have a manual scoreboard on the west side of the ground by some Mumbai Cricket Association members, the authorities managed to find a small scoreboard, normally used for Ranji Trophy and other domestic matches, and kept it adjacent to the players' dressing room at ground level.

But it was just an apology of a scoreboard for a Test match and it was as good as not being there at all for the benefit of the East Stand spectators who swelled to around 4000 post-lunch.