The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Australia and England witnessed a bizarre moment when the Indian national anthem was mistakenly played instead of Australia’s anthem at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, February 22.
As the Australian players lined up for the pre-match ceremony, the familiar tune of the Indian national anthem echoed across the stadium, leaving the players, officials, and spectators bewildered. The organizers quickly realized their mistake and stopped the anthem midway, before rectifying the situation and playing Advance Australia Fair, Australia’s official national anthem.
The mix-up was particularly surprising given that India is not playing any matches in Lahore in the tournament. Due to geopolitical tensions, India refused to travel to Pakistan, resulting in a hybrid model where all India’s matches are being held in Dubai, while the rest of the competition takes place in Pakistan.
Pakistan by mistakenly played Indian National Anthem during England Vs Australia #ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/31D7hA6i6n
— hrishikesh (@hrishidev22) February 22, 2025
As per ICC tournament protocols, the national anthems of both competing teams are played before every match, following the toss and team handshake ceremony.
Australia, led by stand-in captain Steven Smith, won the toss and opted to field against England in their opening Group B game. Australia entered the tournament without their World Cup-winning pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, who were ruled out due to injuries and personal reasons. Additionally, all-rounder Marcus Stoinis announced a surprise retirement from ODIs ahead of the tournament.
This incident adds to the string of organizational blunders in the tournament, raising concerns about Pakistan’s ability to smoothly conduct ICC events.