 "Jos Buttler (right) during the pre-match national anthem ceremony. Image: JioHotstar")
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is in full swing, with England and Australia facing off in their opening match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday. However, an unexpected blunder before the start of Australia vs. England game grabbed headlines when the organisers mistakenly played India’s national anthem.
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Watch the massive national anthem goof-up in Pakistan
As per ICC tournament tradition, both teams lined up for their respective anthems after the toss ceremony. But instead of Australia’s Advance Australia Fair, the stadium speakers played Jana Gana Mana, India’s national anthem, leaving players and fans surprised. The crowd quickly reacted with murmurs and noise before officials corrected the mistake and played the correct anthem.
The incident was particularly surprising given that the Indian team is not scheduled to play any matches in Pakistan. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to send its team to Pakistan due to political tensions, leading the ICC to schedule all of India’s matches in Dubai as a neutral venue.
Earlier, another controversy arose when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reportedly expressed concerns over the absence of the host nation’s name from the Champions Trophy logo displayed on TV screens during the India vs Bangladesh broadcast on Thursday. According to the news agency PTI, the ICC has acknowledged the error, attributing it to a technical glitch. ICC has reportedly assured the PCB that future matches in Dubai will display Pakistan in the logo.
India and Pakistan are scheduled to play their Champions Trophy match on Sunday , 23 February in Dubai.
Australia vs England, Champions Trophy 2025
As far as the match is concerned, Australia won the toss and elected to field first. England opened the batting with Ben Duckett and Phil Salt but lost an early wicket after the latter was dismissed for 10 off 6 by Ben Dwarshuis. Jamie Smith came in and scored a quick 15 before Dwarshuis picked up his second. At the time of writing this copy, England are 92/2 in 13 overs.