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Before the start of the first ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, the Indian national anthem was played mistakenly instead of the Australia one before they were slated to take on England in Group B. The goof up from the DJ at the stadium, which led to the national anthem of India getting played, sparked the fans to life in the stands as they made a massive roar, following which the Australian national anthem eventually blared on the speakers.
Notably, earlier in the afternoon, the captain of Australia, Steve Smith, won the toss and decided to bat first at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on a pitch expected to be very good for batting right throughout. The reason explained by the modern day batting great was the presence of dew last evening, which could make it more easier for the batters to score, but prior to that, “Bharat Bhagya Vidhata” getting played in Pakistan caused quite a frenzy.
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With the ball in hand, the Australian cricket team made a decent start by picking the wickets of Phil Salt and Jamie Smith cheaply inside the first six overs. Ben Dwarshuis got on the board twice as Alex Carey took a couple of catches in the outfield, one of them was easy, while the other one was spectacular, just after Josh Inglis took the gloves for Australia.
Below are the playing XIs of Australia and England for their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash:
Australia: Travis Head, Matt Short, Steve Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
England: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith (wk), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
