The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressed outrage after India’s national anthem mistakenly played during the Australia-England Champions Trophy match. The incident occurred as both teams lined up for their anthems at Gaddafi Stadium, leaving spectators confused when India’s anthem played briefly instead of Australia’s. The PCB has demanded an explanation from the ICC, highlighting that the playlist management for anthems is their responsibility. This incident follows India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns, as they are competing in Dubai. The PCB had previously raised issues regarding their logo not being displayed during India’s match against Bangladesh.
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The Pakistan Cricket Board found itself in an embarrassing situation when India’s national anthem unexpectedly played for a brief moment at the beginning of the Australia-England Champions Trophy match on Saturday. The PCB has since pointed fingers at the ICC for this blunder and has requested clarification from the international governing body. As the teams assembled for the national anthems, attendees were taken aback when the Indian anthem played momentarily before it was halted. An insider from the ICC mentioned that the PCB has communicated with the governing body regarding the incident, seeking an explanation.
“The PCB has emphasized that the ICC must clarify why this occurred since their personnel manage the (national anthem) playlist for the Champions Trophy,” stated the source.
“Given that India isn’t competing in Pakistan, it’s puzzling how their anthem could have mistakenly played from the playlist,” the source added.
During the match held at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, India’s anthem was played mistakenly instead of Australia’s prior to their national anthem.
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India opted not to travel to Pakistan due to security issues and is instead playing its Champions Trophy matches in Dubai. The long-time rivals are set to face off on Sunday in a pivotal match, where a defeat would eliminate Pakistan from the tournament.
Previously, the PCB had also approached the ICC regarding its logo not being visible on television during India’s match against Bangladesh in Dubai on Friday.
The ICC subsequently reassured the PCB that this was an oversight and confirmed that all matches in Dubai would feature the three-line horizontal logo with Pakistan’s name prominently displayed.
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