Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith has hit out at Monty Panesar with a sharp and unexpected reference to the former England spinner’s infamous appearance on a British quiz show ahead of the Ashes opener in Perth.
Panesar urged the English playerstraveling fans and the British media to continue to focus on Smith over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying the stand-in Australian captain should feel “guilty” about replacing Pat Cummins in the first Test. His comments harkened back to the long-running fallout from the Sandpapergate episode and appeared aimed at unsettling one of Australia’s most important batsmen.
Smith didn’t let the remarks slide. When a journalist raised Panesar’s criticism in the pre-match press conference, the stand-in Australian captain responded with a prepared and pointed detour about Panesar’s hackneyed appearance on Celebrity Mastermind in 2019.
“Going off topic here, who saw Mastermind and Monty Panesar in that room? Any of you?” Smith asked and laughter erupted from the room.
“Those of you who have will understand where I’m coming from. If not, do yourself a favor because it’s quite comical. Anyone who believes that Athens is in Germany is the beginning, or that Oliver Twist is a season and America is a city.”
“It doesn’t really bother me, the comments. That’s as far as I’ll go with it.”
Panesar’s appearance on the BBC quiz show went viral at the time after he delivered several incorrect and illogical answers during a general knowledge round hosted by John Humphrys. Smith’s remarks ensured the clip resurfaced and quickly began doing the rounds on social media on the eve of the first Ashes Test.
Smith looked calm and confident as he named Australia field eleven for the first Testhis ninth and possibly final Ashes campaign.
“I’m quite cold,” the 36-year-old told reporters. “I think I’ve learned a lot along the way. And yes, the few times I’ve stood in for Paddy I’ve tried to be quite relaxed and let the game play out.”
“And of course I have to do it my way and have my own style. But these days I’m a lot more laid back, more chilled and I let the boys go to work.”
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
November 20, 2025
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