PCB demands ICC's explanation after India's national anthem plays before AUS-ENG Champions Trophy 2025 clash

Lahore: Left red-faced after India’s national anthem played for a fraction of a second at the start of the Australia-England Champions Trophy match here on Saturday, the Pakistan Cricket Board has blamed the ICC for the fiasco and demanded an explanation from the world body.

At the start of the game when the two teams lined up for their national anthems, the spectators were left surprised as the Indian national anthem played for a second before being stopped.

A source close to the ICC confirmed that the PCB had sent a letter to the governing body outlining the incident and demanding an explanation.

“The PCB has made it clear that the ICC needs to offer some explanation as their people are responsible for the (national anthem) playlist of teams in the Champions Trophy.

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“Since India is not playing in Pakistan, it is hard to understand how their anthem was played by mistake from the playlist,” the source said.

India had refused to travel to Pakistan citing security concerns and are playing their share of Champions Trophy games in Dubai. The traditional rivals are due to clash on Sunday in a crucial match a loss in which will knock Pakistan out of the tournament.

The PCB had earlier also written to the ICC about its name logo not being displayed on television screens when India played Bangladesh in Dubai on Friday.

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The ICC then assured the PCB that it was a mistake and all matches in Dubai will use the three-line horizontal logo with Pakistan’s name.