Steve Smith’s 'Mastermind' jab to Monty Panesar's sandpaper sledge strategy

After responding to the former England spinner's suggestion that he should be made to feel "guilty" for his involvement in the "Sandpaper-gate" ball-tampering scandal seven years ago by bringing up Panesar's unsuccessful appearance on Celebrity Mastermind, Steven Smith has become embroiled in an odd verbal sparring match.

Panesar, who participated in 50 Test matches between 2006 and 2013, stated last week that Smith should feel "guilty" over his involvement in the 2018 "Sandpapergate" controversy. The ball-tampering incident against South Africa, which is frequently used by England supporters as a jab at the 36-year-old, led to Smith's dismissal as captain.

In a pre-series interview with an online betting company, Panesar had suggested that England's players should question the ethics of his re-appointment, and called on the UK media to add to the pressure too. "If it were the opposite, the Australian media would be all over it," Panesar said. "They would have said, if it was any of the English players, 'the cheaters have arrived.' Right?"

Within two minutes of the pre-match news conference at Perth Stadium, a question concerning Panesar's remarks was asked in what seemed to be a prearranged setup between Smith and a journalist. Speaking on the eve of the first Ashes Test in Perth, which starts on Friday, Smith made light of Panesar for suggesting that Ben Stokes should use Sandpapergate to irritate Smith.

In response to the comment, Smith, who will replace the injured Pat Cummins in the opening Test in Perth, listed the responses Panesar had given in a 2019 interview with presenter John Humphrys. "Has anyone in the room watched Monty Panesar and Mastermind on that? "Any of you?" Smith remarked.

"Those of you who 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, that's a start, or that 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 said. Smith said he is "pretty chilled" on his return to the captaincy. "I'm a lot more relaxed these days."

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