The Ashes: Australia captain Steve Smith aims bizarre Mastermind jibe at Monty Panesar
Stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith took aim at former England spinner Monty Panesar in a bizarre swipe on the eve of the first Ashes Test.
Panesar, who played 50 Tests between 2006 and 2013, said last week that England should make Smith feel “guilty” for his role in the 2018 ‘Sandpapergate’ scandal.
Smith was sacked as captain as a result of the ball-tampering incident against South Africa, which is often used by England fans to mock the 36-year-old.
In what appeared to be an arranged incident between Smith and a journalist, a question was asked about Panesar’s comments two minutes into the pre-match press conference at Perth Stadium.
Smith responded by referencing Panesar’s ability to only manage one correct answer on the BBC TV show Mastermind.
“I’m going to digress here,” Smith said. “Which of you in the room has seen Mastermind and Monty Panesar? Have any of you?
“Those who understand will understand where I’m coming from. If you don’t understand, do yourself a favor because it’s pretty funny.”
“If anyone believes that Athens is in Germany, Oliver Twist is a season of the year, and America is a city, those comments don’t really bother me. That’s all I can do about it.”
One of the most eagerly awaited Ashes series of recent times starts on Friday.
Until Smith bit Panesar, players on both teams had avoided antagonizing each other.
The Western Australian newspaper has been baiting the England team since they arrived in Perth.
Thursday’s front page labeled the tourists “arrogant Poms.”
In an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, England coach Brendon McCullum said the excitement around the series was “pretty cool”.
Smith will replace regular skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the first Test with a back injury.
It was a strange turn of events, and the most memorable line of his 17-minute speech to the media, that the Australian skipper turned his attention to Panesar a day before the start of such a big Test series.
Panesar announced that he was considering becoming an MP in the British Labor Party general elections in 2024, but withdrew a week later.
