The tension between Monty Panesar and Steven Smith has escalated after the former England spinner responded sharply to comments the Australia captain made about his infamous Celebrity Mastermind appearance.
Smith had mocked Panesar's error-filled quiz performance during a press conference ahead of the first Test in Perth - a move that the ex-cricketer argues exposes "a massive weakness and mental vulnerability. "
The exchange began when Panesar, in an interview with a gambling platform, urged England's 2025-26 Ashes squad to needle Smith and remind him of his role in the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal. Smith, clearly prepared for questions on the topic, delivered a two-minute monologue listing Panesar's most embarrassing Mastermind slip-ups.
Panesar responded in a column for The Telegraph, opening with the iconic line from the quiz show: "I've started, so I'll finish. " He continued, "Those were the words I heard at the end of my Mastermind shocker six years ago. But if I'm guilty of anything, it is having bad general knowledge. And that is better than being a cheat. "
The former spinner admitted his quiz performance was disastrous - "I know I had an absolute shocker that day. It was terrible, I know it was bad" - but insisted that his mistakes were harmless compared to what happened in Cape Town. "However, at least I can hold my hands up and admit that. It's bad knowledge, but at least it isn't ball-tampering. "
Panesar went on to question whether Smith has truly accepted responsibility for Sandpapergate. "I would actually ask Steve whether he can look himself in the mirror yet and admit that he was part of 'sandpapergate,' the worst example of Australian cheating in history. "
He argued that Smith's reaction betrayed insecurity: "massive weakness and mental vulnerability, something elite players cannot afford. " While Panesar said he did not consider Smith's comments "bullying," he criticised the captain for "deflecting" instead of addressing the scandal directly. He also suggested that a player involved in such an incident would likely not be leading England today.
Smith, meanwhile, justified his remarks by highlighting Panesar's blunders: "Anyone that 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. "
Panesar believes Smith has made "a massive blunder" - one he hopes will unsettle Australia and give England an early psychological edge.
