Steve Smith Fires Back as Ashes Mind Games Ignite Early
Steve Smith responds with sharp humor to Monty Panesar’s call for England to target him over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, stirring tension ahead of the Ashes.
War of Words Before the First Ball Is Bowled
The Ashes rivalry rarely waits for the opening delivery to heat up and this year is no exception. On the eve of the first Test in Perth, Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith delivered a humorous yet pointed rebuttal to former England spinner Monty Panesar, turning a tense question about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal into a moment of sharp comic relief. What began as a typical pre-series press conference quickly evolved into the first psychological skirmish of the series.
The Shadows of “Sandpapergate”
Six years after “Sandpapergate” rocked Australian cricket, the scandal remains an easy pressure point for rivals looking to destabilize Smith. Punished with a year-long ban and stripped of the Test captaincy for his involvement, Smith has spent years rebuilding both his reputation and his role within the team.
But Panesar, in recent comments, urged England to use the incident as ammunition suggesting that repeatedly confronting Smith about the controversy could rattle him and hand England an early mental edge in the Ashes. With the series beginning Friday in Perth, the remarks landed squarely in the spotlight.
Smith Turns the Tables With Humor
Smith didn’t flinch when asked about Panesar’s advice to England. Instead, he seized the moment to bring up Panesar’s infamous appearance on Celebrity Mastermind in 2019, a pop-culture moment that has lingered online for its series of high-profile blunders.
“I’m going to go a little off-topic,” Smith said with a smirk during Thursday’s press conference at Perth Stadium. He then asked reporters if they’d ever seen Panesar’s widely mocked episode.
For those familiar with it, Smith implied, the context spoke for itself. For those who hadn’t, he recommended giving it a watch for its sheer comic value.
He referenced several of Panesar’s most ridiculed answers including placing Athens in Germany, claiming Oliver Twist was a season, and identifying America as a city, before suggesting that comments from a man with that quiz-show record didn’t particularly trouble him.
“That’s as far as I’ll go,” Smith concluded, signaling he had no intention of getting drawn into a drawn-out feud.
Panesar Fires Back
Panesar, writing in The Daily Telegraph, responded without hesitation. He expressed disbelief that Smith would resurrect a moment he had long hoped to forget.
“I can’t believe he brought up my Mastermind performance,” Panesar admitted, acknowledging the disastrous showing but insisting it didn’t compare to Australia’s 2018 scandal. He went further, questioning whether Smith had truly come to terms with his involvement in one of the darkest chapters in Australian cricket history.
Panesar argued that Smith’s comments might prove costly, calling them a “massive blunder,” and said he was eager to see whether the verbal exchange would disrupt Australia’s preparation. If it did, he added, it might tip the series in England’s favor.
A Familiar Psychological Battlefront
Psychological warfare has long been a part of Ashes lore. From press-conference jabs to on-field verbal duels, both teams often look for any foothold especially when the stakes are high. For Australia, keeping their composure is crucial as they seek to defend the urn they have held since the 2017–18 series. For England, who have not won an Ashes Test on Australian soil since early 2011, any opening is worth exploiting.
Smith’s decision to respond with humor rather than defensiveness may signal his desire to close the chapter on the ball-tampering saga once and for all. Yet Panesar’s retort ensures the topic won’t fade easily. Whether this back-and-forth becomes a mere footnote or a defining psychological trigger remains to be seen.
What’s clear is that the Ashes, arguably cricket’s most emotionally charged rivalry has already produced its first headline, long before a single delivery has been bowled.
A Fiery Start to a High-Stakes Series
As the teams take the field in Perth, the verbal sparring between Smith and Panesar adds a combustible layer to an already pressure-packed contest. Australia will aim to keep distractions at bay, while England may hope this early exchange unsettles their opponents. The Ashes are built on passion, intensity, and legacy, and if these opening salvos are any indication, this series promises all three in abundance.
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