Champions Trophy anthem blunder: PCB seeks explanation from ICC

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has already seen its fair share of controversies, and another embarrassing blunder took place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore ahead of the Australia vs England Group B match on Saturday.

The wrong national anthem was played due to an ICC playlist error, causing confusion on the field.

According to sources, the ICC provided an incorrect anthem playlist to the stadium DJ. As a result, after England’s anthem concluded, instead of playing Australia’s national anthem, a line from India’s national anthem, "Bharat Bhagya Vidhata," began playing. The mistake was quickly rectified, but not before it was noticed by fans and went viral on social media. 

Yeh kya tha benstokes
Australia ki jagah india ka anthem laga diya😂 pic.twitter.com/CjSKKcxEGY

— NOYAAN. (@KoitohoonAlt) February 22, 2025

This incident has sparked widespread trolling of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) online, although sources confirm that the mistake was from ICC's end.

When did England become a part of India ? 🤔

Reportedly Pakistan played Indian National Anthem during England Vs Australia

#ChampionsTrophy2025pic.twitter.com/JfjYSUhjnn

— OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) February 22, 2025

PCB seeks explanation

This is not the first time ICC has been caught in such an error during the tournament. Earlier, during the India vs Bangladesh match, Pakistan’s name was missing from the official Champions Trophy logo, a mistake ICC later admitted.

Now, the PCB has officially sought an explanation from ICC over the repeated technical blunders that have put the tournament under scrutiny. 

Indian national anthem in #ENGvsAUS match😂

During Eng vs Aus CT2025 national anthem. They played India's national anthem.😂📷 😂#EngvsAus #ChampionsTrophy2025 #IndianAnthem pic.twitter.com/M7ozuDXK2s

— Vivek Vikash (@imvivekvikash) February 22, 2025

"The Pakistan Cricket Board is waiting for the ICC's response regarding the anthem mistake," sources revealed.

Pakistan vs India: A must-win clash for Pakistan

Meanwhile, all eyes are on the upcoming high-voltage Pakistan vs India match in the Champions Trophy 2025. The defending champions Pakistan are under pressure after their 60-run defeat to New Zealand in their opening game. A loss to India on Sunday would significantly jeopardize their chances of advancing in the tournament.

Former Pakistani cricketer Azam Khan wished the team well, saying: "I wish the best of luck to the Pakistan Cricket Team. It's just a game. It will be a high-voltage encounter, and the team which makes fewer mistakes will win the match." 

He also spoke about the intense rivalry between the two nations. "The rivalry between India and Pakistan is off the field. In the last few years, the matches between both the teams have been played in a friendly manner," Khan added.

Pakistan has a 3-2 advantage over India in Champions Trophy history, including their historic 180-run victory in the 2017 final. However, with India coming off a dominant six-wicket win against Bangladesh, the Men in Green must bring their best performance to keep their title defense alive.