Steve Smith Slams Monty Panesar’s Credibility in Pre-Ashes Presser
Perth, Australia:The 2025 Ashes series has sparked its first major verbal confrontation before the first ball is even bowled, with Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith delivering a savage retort to former England spinner Monty Panesar over a renewed attack regarding the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
The exchange, which has added early spice to cricket’s oldest rivalry, began with Panesar urging the England team and media to use psychological warfare against Smith.
In an interview last week, Panesar called on England to reignite the controversy, suggesting they directly challenge Smith’s ethical fitness to lead the Australian team. Smith is deputizing for the injured Pat Cummins in the Ashes opener at Optus Stadium in Perth.
“Ben Stokes and the England team have got to make Steve Smith feel guilty and play on that,” said Panesar. “Say something like, ‘I don’t think it’s ethical that he’s the captain, I don’t think he played the game fairly.’ Really get into him and make him feel guilty about it.”
When asked about Panesar’s remarks at the pre-match press conference, Smith did not mince words, choosing a highly unusual and pre-prepared tactic to completely dismiss his critic: mocking Panesar’s infamous performance on the British TV quiz show, Celebrity Mastermind.
Smith questioned journalists in the room, asking if they had seen the episode where Panesar managed only one correct answer in the general knowledge round. “I’m going to go off topic here,” said Smith. “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.”
He then specifically referenced Panesar’s most notorious factual errors on the show, using them to discredit his comments entirely. “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.”
Smith’s uncharacteristically sharp and detailed counter-attack prompted an immediate response from Panesar, who appeared on BBC Radio 5Live to double down on his stance while acknowledging his TV gaffe.
Panesar conceded he made mistakes on the quiz show, but drew a stark distinction between their respective public failings. “We’ve both made mistakes. I made mine on a quiz show, he made his on a cricket field,” Panesar told BBC Radio 5Live.
The exchange guarantees an emotionally charged start to the series, with all eyes now on the crowd’s reaction to the returning captain when the first Test gets underway tomorrow.
