Champions Trophy 2025: Huge Mix-Up In Lahore! Indian Anthem Played Before AUS vs ENG Clash: WATCH Video

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Champions Trophy 2025 hosts, Pakistan found themselves in an embarrassing situation when the Indian national anthem was mistakenly played ahead of the Group B encounter between Australia and England at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday (February 22).

The incident unfolded moments after Australia won the toss and elected to field first. As both teams lined up for the pre-match ceremony, players and spectators were left stunned when India's national anthem started playing. Realising the error, officials quickly halted the anthem before proceeding with the correct one for Australia.

This mix-up was particularly ironic given that India is not playing any matches in Pakistan for the tournament. Due to security concerns, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) opted against sending the team across the border. As a result, all of India's fixtures, including potential knockout games, are being hosted in Dubai.

Despite the early hiccup before the match, England delivered a dominant performance with the bat. Ben Duckett stole the show with a spectacular 165-run knock, guiding his team to a formidable 351/8 in 50 overs. Joe Root provided valuable support, adding 68 runs.

England's total set a new record in Champions Trophy history, surpassing New Zealand's previous best of 347/4 against the USA at The Oval in 2004.

Duckett's masterclass also saw him rewrite the record books. His 165 became the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history, overtaking former New Zealand opener Nathan Astle's 145 against the USA, which had stood unchallenged for 21 years.

Australia entered the tournament with a depleted squad, missing their frontline pace attack of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, all ruled out due to injuries. Additionally, all-rounders Mitchell Marsh (back injury) and Marcus Stoinis, who recently announced his retirement from ODIs, were also absent, leaving the team with significant gaps to fill.

At the time of writing this article, Australia were batting at 79/2 after 11 overs of play.