Explained: Why Steve Smith fired a sharp shot at Panesar ahead of Ashes

The Australia stand-in captain used humour and a pointed throwback to counter Monty Panesar's call for England to exploit sandpapergate.

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Australia stand-in captain Steve Smith came up with a sharp comment on former England spinner Monty Panesar on the eve of the first Ashes Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth. What should have been a routine pre-series press conference turned into a moment of pointed humour and public embarrassment, underscoring how deeply the 2018 sandpapergate controversy continues to shape cricket’s psychological contests.

 

What Monty Panesar said — and why it hit a nerve

 

Panesar, speaking in an interview with an online betting platform, urged England’s Ashes squad to use the sandpapergate scandal as a psychological weapon against Smith. He suggested Ben Stokes’s team could unsettle the Australian captain by questioning his integrity, encouraging them to needle him with lines such as:

“I don’t think it’s ethical that he’s the captain. I don’t think he played the game fairly.”

 

He argued that such remarks could trigger guilt in Smith and shift pressure onto Australia. Panesar also said the English media should amplify the angle, claiming that if roles were reversed the Australian press would have seized on the controversy by branding English players as “the cheaters.”

 

Smith’s retort: a humiliating throwback to Mastermind

 

Asked about Panesar’s remarks, Smith initially insisted he was “not bothered.” But what followed showed he had a response lined up. 

 

Smith referenced Panesar’s widely mocked 2019 appearance on the British quiz show Mastermind, where the former spinner struggled with basic general-knowledge questions.

 

“Anyone that believes Athens is in Germany… that Oliver Twist is a season of the year, and America is a city,” Smith said, “it doesn’t really bother me, those comments.”

 

The jab drew laughter in the packed press room.

 

Why this response matters in the Ashes context

 

Smith has long been a central character in Ashes storylines, and sandpapergate remains the most damaging episode of his career. Panesar’s remarks attempted to reopen that wound. But Smith’s sarcastic tone suggested he was unwilling to let the past be weaponised again.

 

His reaction also contradicted the calm, process-driven approach he typically stresses before major series. Moments later, he returned to familiar themes, saying:

 

“There are always so many words said before a series… For us, it’s about ignoring the outside noise and focusing on our processes.”

 

The larger question: Is sandpapergate still a battlefield?

 

Seven years after the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town, sandpapergate continues to shadow Australian cricket. Rivals still reference it, fans still debate it, and former players occasionally revive it as a pressure point.

 

Panesar’s attempt to exploit the controversy appeared calculated to evoke the emotional response Smith claims to have left behind. Instead, Smith’s humour-tinged counterattack showed the subject remains sensitive, even if he now navigates it differently.