PCB accuses ICC of mishandling 'India's national anthem' incident during AUS vs ENG; demands explanation

As the two teams lined up at the Gaddafi Stadium ahead of the start of their respective Champions Trophy opener, there was a moment of confusion when the Indian national anthem started playing instead of the England national anthem, "God Save the King/Queen." The unexpected twist left spectators stunned and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials feeling irked.

According to a report in PTI, a source close to the ICC revealed that PCB sent a letter to the apex body demanding a clear explanation of the incident. "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. "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.

Notably, BCCI refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy after being denied clearance by the Indian government. Hence, after months of back and forth with PCB, Dubai was picked as the venue for all of India's matches.

ICC accepts mistake on broadcast blunder

Earlier, PCB had written to the ICC about its name logo not being displayed on television screens when India played Bangladesh in Dubai on Friday. According to a report in Cricbuzz, footage from all matches in the Champions Trophy so far, the tournament logo on the top left corner at the time of broadcast had a three-line branding bearing 'Pakistan' as the host nation, but it was missing during the India match.

ICC initially responded that it was a bit too long and featured a smaller logo, but later accepted the error and agreed to use the original graphic in all games.

ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, IPL 2025 Schedule and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news along with AUS vs ENG Live Score. .freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }