ICC draws fire after India's anthem played during Aus-Eng fixture

KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) drew fire after India’s national anthem was mistakenly played during the Australia-England clash in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Lahore on Saturday.

Sources said the incident prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to seek clarification from the cricket governing body.

The controversy unfolded just before the start of the Australia-England match when, instead of Australia's anthem, India's anthem blared for a few moments.

The ICC, responsible for managing and executing all aspects of the tournament, faced criticism for the oversight.

Sources said that the playlist for the Champions Trophy was prepared by the ICC and included the anthems of all participating teams, including India’s, despite them not playing any matches in Pakistan.

The PCB has formally contacted the ICC, demanding an explanation for the error. "Not only Pakistan but everyone deserves an explanation for this mistake," a source said while referring to PCB’s message to the ICC.

The ICC, which oversees the organisation and execution of each aspect of the tournament, has yet to issue an official statement.

India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy citing government advice and will be playing all their matches in Dubai, kicking off their Group A campaign with a six-wicket victory against Bangladesh.

Two days earlier, the broadcast of the Group A fixture between India and Bangladesh in Dubai did not feature the host country Pakistan’s name in the official logo of the tournament, leading to widespread speculations.

Meanwhile, an ICC official clarified that a "technical glitch" was responsible for it. The spokesperson further ensured that all of the upcoming Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, will feature the host nation’s name in the logo during the broadcast.

“The omission was due to a graphics-related technical issue, which will be rectified from tomorrow. It was not possible to change the logo during the match.”