Steve Smith usually keeps his calm and isn’t like most Australians as far as aggression is concerned. But on the eve of the Ashes opener in Perth, he decided to take aim at something far outside cricket. When asked about Monty Panesar’s suggestion that England fans should remind him of the 2018 sandpaper scandal, Smith dragged up Panesar’s infamous “Celebrity Mastermind” appearance from years ago. It caught everyone off guard, mainly because the whole exchange felt strangely personal for a player gearing up for an Ashes Test.
Panesar, who played 50 Tests for England and isn’t exactly shy with opinions, didn’t need long to respond. He used his column to turn the spotlight straight back on Smith and the scandal itself, which remains the lowest point in the Australian’s career.
‘It’s bad knowledge, but not ball-tampering’ – Panesar hits back
The former spinner admitted his quiz-show performance was awful but said it was nowhere near Smith’s mistake. While writing for the Telegraph, Panesar asked Smith to look at himself in the mirror. “It’s bad knowledge, but at least it isn’t ball-tampering,” Panesar wrote. “I would actually ask Steve whether he can look himself in the mirror yet and admit that he was part of sandpapergate, the worst example of Australian cheating in history.“
He couldn’t believe Smith had dug up the clip and used it in a press conference. “To think that he wanted to talk about me before one of the biggest days of his career is flattering and hilarious,” he added. “If I can get inside his head like this, imagine what Ben Stokes and his side can do once play starts.“
Panesar doubled down later, saying the whole episode only proved Smith was rattled. “We’ve both made mistakes, but at least mine was on a quiz show. His was on a cricket field, and we both have to live by them.“
Steve Smith’s jab triggers Panesar
Smith’s outburst had originally come after Panesar told a betting site that England should use the episode scandal to unsettle him. He even suggested Stokes should tease Smith by saying England could get the ball to swing “without sandpaper”. Smith didn’t let it pass and fired off a list of Panesar’s famously wrong answers, from “Athens in Germany” to “Oliver Twist being a season.”
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