Monty Panesar responds sharply to Steve Smith's ridicule of him
Spinner says he made his mistakes "on a quiz show", while Smith "made his on a cricket field"
Adds that he feels like England are already in Smith's head and he can "rattle the Aussies from sitting on my sofa"
Hours before the start of the hotly-awaited Ashes series between Australia and England, the war of words continued between Steve Smith and Monty Panesar. The former England spinner responded to stand-in Australia skipper's 'Mastermind' jibe by saying that he made his mistakes "on a quiz show", while Smith "made his on a cricket field".
Smith had earlier made fun of Panesar, saying that anyone who thought "Athens is in Germany" or "Oliver Twist is a season" should not be taken seriously. He was referring to the spinner's unsuccessful 2019 appearance on quiz show Mastermind.
"I'm going to go off-topic here," said Smith on the eve of the first Test in Perth, which begins on Friday (November 21, 2025). "Who of you in the room has seen Mastermind, and Monty Panesar on that? Any of you? Those of you that have will understand where I'm coming from. If you haven't, do yourself a favour because it is pretty comical.
"Anyone who believes that Athens is in Germany, Oliver Twist is a season of the year, and America is a city... it doesn't really bother me, those comments. That's as far as I'll go with that one," he added.
But Panesar clapped back, re-invoking the infamous 'Sandpapergate' ball-tampering saga of 2018 in South Africa that led to Smith's sacking as Australian captain. Panesar said to Radio 5 Live: "I've had some great moments for England and I've had shockers, and he's (Smith) had some great moments for Australia and he's obviously had a very big shocker in South Africa. We've both made mistakes. I made mine on a quiz show, he made his on a cricket field."
He added: "What makes it more sort of pleasing is that the night before the Test match, he's watching my Mastermind clips, memorising the questions and the answers. And it kind of feels like England are already in his head and I can rattle the Aussies from sitting on my sofa."
Monty Panesar's Earlier Remark
It all began when Panesar said travelling fans and media should attack Smith over his role in the Sandpapergate scandal. Smith had admitted to ball-tampering at the time, and the former left-arm spinner said Smith should be made to feel "guilty" about that episode.
While all the off-field banter has further spiced up what was already a high-voltage face-off, the on-field action promises to enthrall as well. England skipper Ben Stokes said the visitors will not finalise their starting lineup, until they have a final look at the pitch ahead of the toss.
England usually announce their starting lineup for a Test well ahead of the first session, but opted to only announce a 12-man squad this time around. Stokes' side are undefeated in their last three men's Tests against Australia, after losing six of their previous seven meetings. This will be the first time that these teams meet at Perth's Optus Stadium.
Australia have already confirmed their playing XI, including two debutants in the form of opener Jake Weatherald and pacer Brendan Doggett. Marnus Labuschagne earns a recall at No.3, joining the top six alongside Cameron Green, who remains in the side.
