Stand-in Australia captain Steve Smith aimed a bizarre swipe at former England spinner Monty Panesar on the eve of the first Ashes Test.
Panesar, who played 50 Tests between 2006 and 2013, said last week England should make Smith feel “guilty” about his part in the ‘Sandpapergate’ scandal of 2018.
Smith was sacked as captain as a result of the ball-tampering episode against South Africa, which is often used by England fans as a taunt to the 36-year-old.
In what appeared to be an arranged set-up between Smith and a journalist, a question about Panesar’s comments was posed within two minutes of the pre-match news conference at Perth Stadium.
Panesar had told a gambling website: “Ben Stokes and the England team have got to make Steve Smith feel guilty and play on that.
“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.”
Smith responded by referring to Panesar’s appearance in 2019 on BBC TV show Celebrity Mastermind, when he managed only one correct answer in the general knowledge round. The left-arm spinner had correctly answered six questions on Sikhism and its history in the specialist subject 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.
“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.”