The International Cricket Council (ICC) found itself under scrutiny after a mix-up during the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy in Lahore on Saturday, when India’s national anthem was mistakenly played before the Australia-England match.
Sources revealed that the error led the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to formally request clarification from the cricket governing body. The incident occurred just before the match began, when, instead of Australia’s anthem, India’s anthem was played for several moments.
The mistake raised concerns, especially as the ICC is responsible for all tournament operations, including managing the anthem playlist. Sources confirmed that the Champions Trophy playlist, prepared by the ICC, included all participating teams' anthems, even though India was not scheduled to play any matches in Pakistan.
The PCB has contacted the ICC seeking an explanation for the blunder. A PCB source commented, “Not only Pakistan but everyone deserves an explanation for this mistake.” The ICC has not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.
India, which opted not to travel to Pakistan for the tournament due to government advice, is playing all its matches in Dubai. They began their Group A campaign with a six-wicket win against Bangladesh.
In another incident earlier this week, during the Group A fixture between India and Bangladesh, Pakistan’s name was omitted from the official tournament logo broadcasted from Dubai, sparking widespread speculation.
An ICC official later clarified that a “technical glitch” was responsible for the omission. The spokesperson assured that the issue would be rectified in future broadcasts, stating, "The omission was due to a graphics-related technical issue, which will be fixed from tomorrow. It wasn’t possible to change the logo during the match."
Although the PCB remained unconvinced by the explanation, it questioned why Pakistan's name was missing during the India-Bangladesh match, especially after it had appeared in the opening game.
