When Australia and England line up for the national anthems before a match at an ICC event, you want national anthems of respective nations to play. But for strange reason, the sound system at the National Stadium in Karachi, blared out India’s national anthem Jana Gana Mana on Saturday ahead of the Group B clash.
The gaffe from the stadium operators drew huge jeers from the local crowd inside the stadium as it was immediately cut short. It might be an embarrassing moment for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who had played down the significance of not showing the Indian flag before the first match and then having it in the next match.
“The flags of the countries playing in Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 have only been raised at the stadiums. India is not coming to Pakistan; hence, its flag was not displayed,” PCB had clarified about the omission.
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The PCB had also complained to the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the Indian jersey not having the host nation’s name below the Champions Trophy log.
India has not travelled to Pakistan for a bilateral series or a multi-nation tournament close to two decades citing security reasons and visa issues.
It was a similar situation in 2023 for the Asia Cup. Pakistan were awarded the hosting rights for the competition but the then Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Jay Shah, who was also the BCCI secretary at that time, kicked up a war of words with the PCB after stating that India will not be traveling to Pakistan for the tournament.
They got their way finally as India’s matches were all played in Sri Lanka. For the Champions Trophy, the deliberations with the ICC went on for longer. Finally the PCB and BCCI agreed for India’s matches to be played in Dubai, including Sunday’s blockbuster clash against Pakistan.
Also as a proof of BCCI’s influence on the ICC, the venue for the Champions Trophy 2025 final is yet to be decided.
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