Lahore

In a blunder before the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy match between Australia and England at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, India’s national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was played instead of ‘Advance Australia Fair’, Australia’s anthem.

As is customary in ICC events, the national anthems of both teams are played before each match. After England’s ‘God Save The King’, ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was expected to follow.

However, to the surprise of everyone at the venue, the Indian anthem was played for two seconds before being swiftly corrected, with ‘Advance Australia Fair’ being played immediately after. The mistake sparked widespread backlash on social media, with many laughing at the blunder.

This incident ahead of the Australia-England game now raises questions for the host Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), who will likely need to clarify what went wrong and outline any actions to be taken against those responsible.

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In the match itself, Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bowl first against England in their opening Group B game of the eight-team tournament. Both teams entered the match following defeats in their respective ODI series in the subcontinent. While England were swept 3-0 in India, Australia lost both ODIs in Colombo to Sri Lanka, a team not involved in the ongoing Champions Trophy.

To progress to the semifinals, both teams will need at least two wins from their Group B matches, which also feature South Africa and Afghanistan. The two teams last met in an ODI series in England last year, with Australia winning 3-2.