Australian stand-in captain Steve Smith fired back strongly at former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar after the latter had reopened the scars of the infamous 2018 ball-tampering controversy, with only days to go for the Ashes 2025 opener in Perth. Panesar had called on England players and British media to make Smith a target because of his involvement in the scandal, claiming it may rattle the Australian dressing room.
Smith brushed off the comments at his pre-match press conference with a pointed, sarcastic response that got the longrunning tension between the two cricketing nations off to a heated start.
Smith’s Mastermind Jibe Goes Viral
Asked about Panesar’s comments, Smith took a pause before unleashing a scathing reference to Panesar’s appearance on the BBC’s celebrity quiz show Mastermind in 2019.
“I’m gonna go off topic for a second,” Smith began.
“Who here has seen Monty Panesar on Mastermind? Those who have, you know where I’m coming from. For those that haven’t, do yourself a favour-it’s pretty comical.
Smith then added a string of examples from Panesar’s widely mocked quiz answers.
These players tend to say the comments don’t bother them but Smith or his team went back to a decade old show of Mastermind when Monty Panesar featured & gave incorrect answers on a GK based show, to get back at him !!
Monty got under skin somehow 😄😄#Ashes https://t.co/zMp4K3koNG— Danish Khan (@danishkhan_30) November 20, 2025
“Anyone who thinks that Athens is in Germany, Oliver Twist is a season of the year, and America is a city… doesn’t really bother me, those comments. That’s as far as I’ll go with that one.”
Smith’s response instantly went viral on social media, as many Australian fans cheered the cool and at the same time stinging rejoinder.
Ball-Tampering Past still shadows Smith
And though Smith served his 12-month ban and was stripped of the captaincy in 2018, questions about the scandal have continued to dog him. During the Cape Town Test, though David Warner and Cameron Bancroft directly used sandpaper on the ball, Smith was held responsible as the then captain.
The resurfacing of the controversy on the eve of the Ashes underlines how deeply the incident remains embedded in the rivalry between Australia and England.
Panesar Backs England To Shock Australia
Panesar had earlier forecast that England are well placed to reclaim the Ashes on Australian soil for the first time since 2010–11 but only if they win the first Test.
“You look at Australia no Pat Cummins, no Josh Hazlewood,” he said, pointing to injury concerns. “If England win the first Test in Perth, they can win the series.”
Panesar also questioned Australia’s opening combination and brought out Usman Khawaja’s inconsistent recent record.
