Chaos erupted in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium Friday night when the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener between Australia and England got a wild jolt—organizers blasted India’s national anthem instead of England’s before the toss. The snafu hit just after 8 PM PST, caught live on Hotstar, and turned a packed house into a howling mess—25,000 fans, some roaring, some jeering, as “Jana Gana Mana” echoed over the Punjab plains. Australia’s Pat Cummins smirked, England’s Jos Buttler blinked hard, and the scoreboard froze while officials scrambled to kill the audio. It took three excruciating minutes—felt like thirty—before “God Save the King” finally rolled out, but the damage was done: cricket’s biggest stage just tripped over its own laces.
The fallout’s a firestorm. Pakistan Cricket Board suits apologized fast, blaming a “technical glitch,” but that didn’t stop X from exploding—clips racked up 2 million views by 3 AM PST, with fans screaming everything from “sabotage” to “epic troll.” India’s not even playing—Australia won the toss, posted 287, and England’s chasing under lights—but the blunder’s the real headline. This ain’t just a whoopsie; it’s a gut punch to the PCB’s rep, hosting its first ICC gig since 1996. Broadcasters on Willow TV tried smoothing it over, but the crowd’s buzz drowned them out—half amused, half pissed, all buzzing about cricket’s geopolitical ghost rearing up.
The Champions Trophy’s barely started, and it’s already a circus. Australia’s hammering boundaries, England’s fighting back, but this anthem mess is the knockout blow stealing the night. From Mumbai to Melbourne, the cricket world’s watching—some laughing, some raging—as Lahore’s opener becomes a global meme factory.
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