diff --git a/internal/cri/annotations/annotations.go b/internal/cri/annotations/annotations.go
index a6aa15109..c1fae1944 100644
--- a/internal/cri/annotations/annotations.go
+++ b/internal/cri/annotations/annotations.go
@@ -78,6 +78,9 @@ const (
 	// ImageName is the name of the image used to create the container
 	ImageName = "io.kubernetes.cri.image-name"
 
+	// SandboxImageName is the name of the sandbox image
+	SandboxImageName = "io.kubernetes.cri.podsandbox.image-name"
+
 	// PodAnnotations are the annotations of the pod
 	PodAnnotations = "io.kubernetes.cri.pod-annotations"
 
@@ -110,11 +113,15 @@ func DefaultCRIAnnotations(
 	ctrType := ContainerTypeContainer
 	if sandbox {
 		ctrType = ContainerTypeSandbox
-		// Sandbox log dir only gets passed for sandboxes, the other metadata always
+		// Sandbox log dir and sandbox image name get passed for sandboxes, the other metadata always
 		// gets sent however.
-		opts = append(opts, customopts.WithAnnotation(SandboxLogDir, config.GetLogDirectory()))
+		opts = append(
+			opts,
+			customopts.WithAnnotation(SandboxLogDir, config.GetLogDirectory()),
+			customopts.WithAnnotation(SandboxImageName, imageName),
+		)
 	} else {
-		// Image name and container name only get passed for containers.s
+		// Image name and container name get passed for containers.
 		opts = append(
 			opts,
 			customopts.WithAnnotation(ContainerName, containerName),
diff --git a/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run.go b/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run.go
index ae2fc6a9d..389689703 100644
--- a/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run.go
+++ b/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run.go
@@ -75,10 +75,7 @@ func (c *Controller) Start(ctx context.Context, id string) (cin sandbox.Controll
 		labels = map[string]string{}
 	)
 
-	sandboxImage := c.imageService.PinnedImage("sandbox")
-	if sandboxImage == "" {
-		sandboxImage = criconfig.DefaultSandboxImage
-	}
+	sandboxImage := c.getSandboxImageName()
 	// Ensure sandbox container image snapshot.
 	image, err := c.ensureImageExists(ctx, sandboxImage, config, metadata.RuntimeHandler)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -321,3 +318,15 @@ func (c *Controller) ensureImageExists(ctx context.Context, ref string, config *
 	}
 	return &newImage, nil
 }
+
+func (c *Controller) getSandboxImageName() string {
+	// returns the name of the sandbox image used to scope pod shared resources used by the pod's containers,
+	// if empty return the default sandbox image.
+	if c.imageService != nil {
+		sandboxImage := c.imageService.PinnedImage("sandbox")
+		if sandboxImage != "" {
+			return sandboxImage
+		}
+	}
+	return criconfig.DefaultSandboxImage
+}
diff --git a/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_linux.go b/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_linux.go
index 125756b31..e7fd1c941 100644
--- a/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_linux.go
+++ b/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_linux.go
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ func (c *Controller) sandboxContainerSpec(id string, config *runtime.PodSandboxC
 		specOpts = append(specOpts, customopts.WithAnnotation(pKey, pValue))
 	}
 
-	specOpts = append(specOpts, annotations.DefaultCRIAnnotations(id, "", "", config, true)...)
+	specOpts = append(specOpts, annotations.DefaultCRIAnnotations(id, "", c.getSandboxImageName(), config, true)...)
 
 	return c.runtimeSpec(id, "", specOpts...)
 }
diff --git a/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_other.go b/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_other.go
index 9aef21b8b..e0ef284f6 100644
--- a/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_other.go
+++ b/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_other.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ import (
 
 func (c *Controller) sandboxContainerSpec(id string, config *runtime.PodSandboxConfig,
 	imageConfig *imagespec.ImageConfig, nsPath string, runtimePodAnnotations []string) (_ *runtimespec.Spec, retErr error) {
-	return c.runtimeSpec(id, "", annotations.DefaultCRIAnnotations(id, "", "", config, true)...)
+	return c.runtimeSpec(id, "", annotations.DefaultCRIAnnotations(id, "", c.getSandboxImageName(), config, true)...)
 }
 
 // sandboxContainerSpecOpts generates OCI spec options for
diff --git a/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_windows.go b/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_windows.go
index cf8cad493..a7ad590df 100644
--- a/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_windows.go
+++ b/internal/cri/server/podsandbox/sandbox_run_windows.go
@@ -81,8 +81,9 @@ func (c *Controller) sandboxContainerSpec(id string, config *runtime.PodSandboxC
 	}
 
 	specOpts = append(specOpts, customopts.WithAnnotation(annotations.WindowsHostProcess, strconv.FormatBool(config.GetWindows().GetSecurityContext().GetHostProcess())))
+
 	specOpts = append(specOpts,
-		annotations.DefaultCRIAnnotations(id, "", "", config, true)...,
+		annotations.DefaultCRIAnnotations(id, "", c.getSandboxImageName(), config, true)...,
 	)
 
 	return c.runtimeSpec(id, "", specOpts...)