The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sought an explanation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after India's national anthem was briefly played at the start of the Australia-England Champions Trophy match in Lahore on Saturday (Feb 22).

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As the two teams lined up for their national anthems, spectators were momentarily surprised when the Indian anthem played for a fraction of a second before being stopped. The PCB has blamed the ICC for the mix-up and has formally written to the governing body, demanding clarification.

A source close to the ICC confirmed that the PCB’s letter outlined the incident and sought accountability.

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'ICC must explain the error'

"The PCB has emphasized that the ICC must explain the error, as their officials are responsible for managing the national anthem playlist during the Champions Trophy. Given that India is not playing in Pakistan, it is difficult to understand how their anthem was mistakenly played," the source said.

India had refused to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns and is playing its share of Champions Trophy matches in Dubai. The two arch-rivals are set to face off on Sunday in a crucial game, where a Pakistan loss would mean elimination from the tournament.

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This is not the first grievance raised by the PCB during the tournament. Earlier, the board had also written to the ICC regarding Pakistan's name logo not being displayed on television screens during India's match against Bangladesh in Dubai. The ICC later assured the PCB that it was an unintentional mistake and confirmed that all Dubai matches would feature the correct three-line horizontal logo, including Pakistan's name.

Coming to the game, England's Ben Duckett scripted history with the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history, smashing 165 runs to set up a formidable total of 351/8 against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

After being put in to bat by Steve Smith, England overcame early setbacks with a solid 158-run stand between Duckett and Joe Root (68). The duo anchored the innings through the middle overs, displaying improved batting tactics compared to their recent struggles in India.

(With inputs from agencies)