Indian anthem before Aus vs Eng in Lahore – PCB asks ICC for clarification

Last updated: 23/02/2025 10:33 AM

Mithun Seal

3 Min Read

The PCB has reached out to the ICC for clarification after the Indian national anthem was erroneously played for a moment at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Ahead of the game between Australia and England, the national anthem of the UK was played without incident. However, instead of following it up with the opening tunes of the Australian national anthem, a recording of the Indian national anthem began to ring out before it was swiftly stopped and changed.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the PCB is unhappy with the error, which it has blamed the ICC for. A PCB official told ESPNcricinfo that as this is an ICC tournament, the anthem playlist was produced and distributed by the ICC, with the ICC in charge of playing the anthems ahead of the matches. The PCB also questioned the presence of the Indian anthem in the playlist in the first place, given India are not playing any of their matches in Pakistan.

This is the second time in as many days that the PCB has had to ask the ICC for an explanation following incidents it feels have undermined Pakistan as official hosts of the Champions Trophy. During the second game of the tournament in Dubai, when India played Bangladesh, Pakistan’s name was omitted from the logo on the official broadcast.

This was a departure from the broadcast graphics for the other matches of the tournament so far, including the tournament opener between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi where the event name as well as ‘Pakistan’ was visible on the broadcast.

The ICC put that down to a technical glitch, though it was an explanation that didn’t satisfy the PCB. The ICC gave assurances that such a thing would not be repeated, regardless of where the games were being held. That means the feed for Sunday’s game between India and Pakistan in Dubai – the most high-profile contest of the tournament – will include Pakistan’s name on the official on-screen logo.

The game between Australia and England drew the biggest crowd of the tournament so far, and was the most dramatic, as Australia chased down a record 351 to beat England by five wickets with 15 balls to spare.