Indian Anthem Played in Lahore: Pakistan Seeks Info

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

Indian national anthem played before Australia-England match in Lahore.
Pakistan Cricket Board seeks clarification from the ICC.
Organizers played ‘Jana Gana Mana’, not the Australian anthem.
India refused to play Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan.
ICC and PCB have faced controversies before.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

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The Pakistan Cricket Board has asked the International Cricket Council for clarification after the Indian national anthem was played in the Champions Trophy match between Australia and England. The goof-up happened on Saturday, just ahead of the match between the Ashes rivals. The Indian Anthem Lahore incident is now under review.

After playing the England anthem, the organizers played India’s ‘Jana Gana Mana’ instead of Australia’s ‘Advance Australia Fair’. While India’s anthem lasted less than 2 seconds, it was long enough for the incident to go viral on the social media. A report on ESPNcricinfo states that the PCB has blamed ICC for the error and have asked for an official clarification.

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On Saturday, both the Australian players and the crowd at Gaddafi Stadium were caught off guard when the wrong national anthem was played. The mistake was quickly noticed, and the organizers stopped the anthem before eventually playing the correct one. The situation was resolved when the proper song was played at the iconic venue in Lahore, which has undergone a renovation in preparation for the Champions Trophy.

The error was particularly strange as India is not scheduled to play any of their Champions Trophy matches in Lahore. India had opted not to travel to Pakistan for the eight-team tournament, prompting the organizers to adopt a hybrid model. As a result, India will play all of their matches in Dubai.

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This is not the first time that the PCB has seeked a clarification from the ICC in this tournament. In fact, on 20 February, the board had asked the ICC, on why Pakistan’s name was omitted from the official broadcast when India were playing their match against Bangladesh.

Right before the start of the tournament, the ICC and the PCB were under fire for not having India’s flag at the National Stadium in Karachi. And even before the tournament began, the ICC faced scrutiny as the schedule announcement was delayed due to India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan. Pakistan initially resisted the idea of a hybrid model, leading to further uncertainty. However, after Jay Shah took over as the ICC chief in December 2024, the issue was resolved, with all three parties-the BCCI, PCB, and ICC-agreeing to the hybrid model for the Champions Trophy. The same model will also be used for upcoming ICC events in India, including the Women’s ODI World Cup in 2025 and the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember