If this is the way a Cricket Australia official views the Prime Minister's XI and its lack of promotion, why should anyone expect fans to buy in as they once did?

Why should anyone be surprised if the crowd figure falls short of 2000 when the Prime Minister's XI host Lasith Malinga's Sri Lankan outfit at Manuka Oval on Thursday night?

Put simply, they shouldn't.

Sure, the Prime Minister's XI is just a tour match. But in Canberra it has always been so much more.

It is the kind of attitude that led fans to "blame the suits", as one put it last summer following a record low turnout.

Cricket ACT officials were privately embarrassed by a record low crowd of 1824 for the Prime Minister's XI's one-day clash with South Africa last season.

It is the kind of attitude which makes one wonder if it is worth persisting with the Prime Minister's XI given it has slid so far down the governing body's list of priorities.

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If it is truly just a tour match, why charge people any more than a dollar or two to get in?

Cricket ACT chief executive James Allsopp is committed to rebuilding some excitement around the contest given its history and political importance.

Sound familiar? Well it should, because this is just the position officials found themselves in 12 months ago.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

Cricket ACT is offering fans the chance to buy a two-game pass for the Prime Minister's XI and the Australian men's team's Twenty20 clash with Pakistan on November 5.

Purchase a ticket to next month's Twenty20 international and fans can pounce on a 50 per cent discount for a ticket to watch Peter Siddle and Dan Christian lead an outfit tailored for the game's shortest format.

Whether many capitalise on the offer remains to be seen, because we have seen a seismic shift in the capital's cricket landscape.

You don't have to sift far through the history books to see the Prime Minister's XI clash was Canberra's showpiece event as few as six years ago.

Only once since 2006 has the Prime Minister's XI crowd figure exceeded 10,000 - but for some time it at least captured the imagination of cricket fanatics in the capital.

Today the storied fixture struggles to accomplish even that.

An influx of fully fledged internationals and Big Bash games has seen the Prime Minister's XI take a backseat.

Punters see a jam-packed schedule and, of course, they circle the dates the Australian sides and the Sydney Thunder come to town.

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We can see a BBL-quality outfit turn out for the Prime Minister's XI, but those same punters are led to believe it isn't that big a deal. So why bother going to that when they can go to a game that has some degree of hype around it?

That is exactly why Cricket Australia must do their bit to promote this game as much as possible, rather than relying on rusted on fans to turn out just because they used to go all the time.

Don't do that, and you find yourself questioning if it is worth the investment as Cricket Australia, Cricket ACT and the ACT government edge closer towards striking a six-year deal to host elite cricket content in Canberra.

Prime Minister's XI spinner Chris Green has urged the governing body to persist with the ailing fixture despite the looming threat of another nightmare turnout.

This season shapes as a chance for a handful of Twenty20 specialists to force their way back into Australian calculations a year out from a World Cup on home soil.

For that reason the game no longer shapes as one struggling for an identity - it has one, it just looks a little different to the one Canberra grew up with.

It provides a platform for established stars like Chris Lynn to make a statement to Australian selectors while giving young guns like Jason Sangha a taste of life in the international arena.

Even so, more could be done to attract an extra big name or two. Make the Australian captain lead the Prime Minister's XI and you'll get a handful more through the gates.

Ask Green and he will tell you this contest matters.

"I certainly think so. We're all really excited for this clash," Green said.

"We're looking to entertain as much as we can and put on a show for the people that turn up.

"I see it as a great opportunity for everyone to put their name forward for selection moving forward into the summer. Most of all, I think it's going to be great fun.

"Hopefully we see a lot of kids and families out her supporting the game and spending some time on the fence after with the players.

"It's really exciting. [The Twenty20 World Cup] is on every cricketer's radar that has a Big Bash contract.

"If you perform well in the Big Bash, or if you perform well in games such as these, you're putting your hand up for selection.

"There are guys at the top in the Australian team performing really well at the moment. Performances in front of people make it a lot easier to be picked.

"Guys are wanting to put their hand up for every opportunity they can."

The game is clearly still relevant to those pulling on the colours and marching onto Manuka Oval determined to star against some of international cricket's finest.

But to those in Cricket Australia polo shirts? They announce the captains on days they're unavailable for comment and wonder if it's even worth doing a post-match media conference.

After all, it's just a tour match.

PRIME MINISTER'S XI

Thursday: Twenty20 tour match - Prime Minister's XI v Sri Lanka at Manuka Oval, 7.10pm. Tickets from Ticketek.

Prime Minister's XI squad: Peter Siddle (c), Dan Christian (c), Chris Lynn, Jason Sangha, Fawad Ahmed, Daniel Fallins, Djali Bloomfield, Ben Cutting, Jordan Silk, Chris Green, Harry Nielsen, Dan Leerdam (12th man). Coach: Jason Gillespie.

Sri Lanka squad: Lasith Malinga (c), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Shehan Jayasuriya, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Oshada Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha.