ICC Champion’s Trophy 2025: It has been just a few days that the much anticipated ICC Champion’s Trophy 2025 kickstarted, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are already at loggerheads.
Just days after the PCB raised a complaint with the ICC over a broadcasting error during India’s opening game against Bangladesh in Dubai, they were left embarrassed when India’s national anthem played for a fraction of a second at the start of the Australia-England Champions Trophy match in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
But why was India’s national anthem played at the Pakistan stadium? What is the controversy around it? Livemint brings you an explainer on the fiasco that has got everyone talking.
India’s national anthem mixed up – What happened
Traditionally, the national anthems of the two contesting teams are played before the beginning of the match. However, as Australia and England’s cricket team lined up at the Gaddafi Stadium, for the ICC opener, instead of playing England’s national anthem, “God Save the King/Queen,” the Indian anthem was played for a few seconds.
A brief spell of silence filled an otherwise buzzing stadium, before the correct anthem was played for the teams involved.
Pakistan Cricket Board in fumes
Following the unexpected gaffe, PCB wasted no time, and reached out to the ICC, demanding an explanation. “Since India is not playing in Pakistan, it is hard to understand how their anthem was played by mistake from the playlist,” said an official, as per multiple reports.
The BCCI refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy after the Indian government denied clearance, owing to security concerns. After months of discussions with the PCB, Dubai was chosen as the venue for all of India’s matches.
What did the ICC say
While the ICC has yet to make an official statement on the PCB’s concerns, early reports suggest that the error may have been caused by a technical glitch.
The national anthems are pre-loaded into the tournament’s official broadcasting and stadium management system, and any mix-up in sequencing or incorrect file selection could have led to the brief anthem confusion, stated reports, citing experts.
