Former England spinner Monty Panesar responded sharply to stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith’s dig during the pre-match press conference ahead of the first Ashes Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Panesar acknowledged that he had been naïve with some of his past responses but countered the veteran Aussie by asserting that, unlike others, he can at least take pride in not being a cheat.
Panesar had recently suggested that England should bring up the sandpaper-gate scandal to unsettle Smith, and the Australian batter didn’t shy away from retaliating. During Thursday’s presser, Smith referenced Panesar’s infamous incorrect answers from his 2019 appearance on the quiz show Mastermind, taking a pointed jab in return.
Monty Panesar said England should reignite Sandpaper-gate during the Ashes…
Steve Smith came prepared. 😂 pic.twitter.com/Kspp5nuBXv
— Herald Sun Sport (@heraldsunsport) November 20, 2025
In his Telegraph column, the 43-year-old cast doubt on whether Smith can even meet his own gaze in the mirror following his part in the Sandpaper-gate episode.
“I simply cannot believe that the Australian captain on the eve of the Ashes brought up my Celebrity Mastermind performance from 2019. Yes, I know I had an absolute shocker that day. I got six questions right on my specialist subject, Sikhism and its history, then got only one question correct in the general knowledge round. It was terrible, I know it was bad.”
“However, at least I can hold my hands up and admit that. 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.”
“Steve Smith Shows Clear Signs Of Mental Fragility”- Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar further cautioned that by engaging with him, Steve Smith may have revealed a small vulnerability that England will look to exploit, adding:
“I can’t believe he revisited that old YouTube clip and memorised it. If I can get into his head this easily, imagine what Stokes and England can do in Perth. Steve has shown a major mental weakness that you simply can’t afford at this level.”
“Look, we are all cricketers at the end of the day and I had some great days playing for my country, but I also had some shockers. He has had a lot of great days playing for his country but he has had one very big shocker – that day in South Africa in 2018.”
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