On the eve of the 2025-26 Ashes series, a verbal spat between former England spinner Monty Panesar and Australia skipper Steve Smith had made national news. What started as a simple joke from Panesar swiftly escalated after Smith made a dramatic response that brought back memories of Sandpapergate.
The incident occurred after Panesar, speaking prior of the series, advised England’s players to mentally target Smith using his background, notably the infamous 2018 ball-tampering affair. He stated that Ben Stokes’ men should’make Steve Smith feel bad’ and call into question his captaincy ethics.
However, during the press conference, Steve Smith looked to have asked a question to prepare for his response. The Australian skipper, who was given responsibility for the Perth Test because Pat Cummins was unavailable, took advantage of the opportunity to mock Panesar by invoking his viral participation on the quiz program Mastermind. Smith mocked Panesar’s wrong answers, which included calling Athens a part of Germany and identifying Oliver Twist as a season. However, Panesar did not hold back in his response.
“We’ve both made mistakes. I made mine on a quiz show, he made his on a cricket field. It’s an interesting one. I think it’s still in his head, 100 per cent. I find it so funny that he’s memorised the questions and answers. The best way to deviate from it is say something completely funny, comical, what I did on the show and it will move everything on. 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.What I’m trying to do is help the England team – this is your opportunity; you’re at Perth, no Pat Cummins or Josh Hazlewood. If you’ve got the courage and you think it’s a good idea, say it to him,” he said on on BBC 5 Live.
The former also took aim at Smith, claiming that the’sandpapergate’ affair was the worst example of Australian cheating in history.
“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 has just displayed a massive weakness and mental vulnerability that, at this level of elite sport, you cannot afford to do. “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. If I was Jofra Archer, I would be telling him “I’m swinging the ball even without sandpaper!”, or if I was Joe Root I’d be in his ear, “tell us how you do it mate, fine or coarse paper? Tell us the tricks of your trade,” he added.,” Panesar wrote in his column for the Telegraph.
Meanwhile, Smith skippered England’s last tour of Australia in 2021-22, after Cummins was forced to isolate for the Adelaide Test due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Furthermore, the home team has announced its playing XI for the Perth Test.
