Monty Panesar has hit back at Steve Smith’s dig at his “Celebrity Mastermind” performance, saying he made his on a “quiz show” while the stand-in Australia captain made his “on a cricket field.”
Smith was sacked as Australia captain for his role in the notorious ball-tampering scandal in 2018, but he is leading the side again for the first Ashes Test in Perth because of an injury to Pat Cummins.
He used Thursday’s pre-match news conference to launch a bizarre swipe at former England spinner Panesar, who recently called on travelling fans and media to barrack Smith over what happened seven years ago.
In what appeared to be a well-rehearsed response, Smith moved to discredit Panesar’s opinion with a detailed reference to his 2019 appearance on “Celebrity Mastermind,” in which he answered one question right in the general knowledge round. He had six correct answers in the specialist subject round.
Panesar, who played 50 Tests for England between 2006 and 2013, responded to Smith’s comments in his column in The Telegraph.
Commenting on his own performance on the TV show, which Panesar described as “terrible,” the former spinner wrote: “It’s bad knowledge, but at least it isn’t ball-tampering. 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.
“To think that he wanted to talk about me before one of the biggest days of his career — when he will lead Australia out against England as he stands in for absent captain Pat Cummins — is flattering, and nothing short of hilarious.
“I cannot believe he has dug out the old YouTube clip of my shocker and memorised it word by word. I must admit I am delighted to have got so far inside his head, but if I am able to achieve that, imagine how much damage Ben Stokes and his side are going to be able to do once play starts in Perth?”
Smith’s unexpected diatribe in his pre-series interview drew laughs from the room but going hard at a retired player suggests Panesar may have succeeded in getting under his skin, despite his insistence to the contrary.
Panesar added: “We’ve both made mistakes, but at least mine was on a celebrity quiz show. His was on a cricket field, and we both have to live by them. It seems right now only one of us can.”
Smith has 12 centuries in 37 Tests against England, while he is the only two-time recipient of the Compton-Miller Medal after averaging more than 100 in both the 2017-18 and 2019 series.
Panesar also told the PA news agency: “If I was in the England team right now, I’d be thinking ‘Monty’s just given us a piece of ammunition that we can use on Steve Smith.'”
– Why is Monty Panesar trending on the eve of the first Ashes Test?
– Ben Stokes yearns to join ‘lucky few’ in Ashes history
As well as picking a fight with Panesar, Smith confirmed an Australia XI with two 31-year-old debutants included.
As expected, South Australia seamer Brendan Doggett has edged Michael Neser as Josh Hazlewood’s replacement, while Jake Weatherald steps up as opener.
With Marnus Labuschagne returning at No. 3, there is no place for all-rounder Beau Webster, who can count himself unlucky after enjoying a bright start to his Baggy Greens career.
Information from PA contributed to this story.
