ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match between Australia and England had a slight moment of blunder. The Indian national anthem was mistakenly played in Lahore instead of the Australian national anthem on Saturday (February 22). The Aussie players and crowd at Lahore Gaddafi Stadium were surprised. Organisers realized their blunder and stopped the Indian national anthem. Order was restored. This happened when Advance Australia Fair was finally played at the renowned Lahore venue. The venue has been renovated for the Champions Trophy.
The organizers’ mistake was unusual. India is not set to play any of its Champions Trophy matches in Lahore. India declined to travel to Pakistan for the eight-team tournament. As a result, a hybrid model was implemented. India is scheduled to play all its matches in Dubai.
In ICC-hosted cricket events, the national anthems of both competing teams are traditionally played before each match. This ceremony occurs after the toss, allowing players to shake hands and prepare for the contest.
Australia Vs England
Australia won the toss. They elected to field against England. This was in their opening Group B game on Saturday at the Champions Trophy.
Australia is led by stand-in captain Steven Smith. The World Cup-winning pace trio of captain Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc were ruled out of the tournament. They can’t participate due to injuries and personal reasons. All-rounder Marcus Stoinis has announced a surprise retirement from ODIs.
Australia didn’t have an ideal preparation for the tournament. They lost the home series 2-1 to Pakistan. They were also whitewashed 2-0 in Sri Lanka earlier this month.
England, coming into the Champions Trophy after a 3-0 loss in India, has promoted wicket keeper-batter Jamie Smith to No. 3 which means Joe Root will be batting down at No. 4. Smith will take over the wicket keeping gloves from Phil Salt after recovering from a calf injury.
England go into the opening game with four specialist bowlers. They will be heavily relying on the pace of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer upfront. Brydon Carse is the other pace option.
