Steve Smith, Monty Panesar engage in verbal spat ahead of Ashes

KARACHI: Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith and former England spinner Monty Panesar have gotten involved in a passive verbal spat ahead of The Ashes 2025, scheduled to get underway in Perth on Friday.

The controversy erupted when Panesar, in an interview with a gambling website last week, urged England to make the batting stalwart "guilty" of the ball-tampering scandal, which marked Smith's removal as Australia's Test captain during the away four-match series against South Africa in 2018.

"Ben Stokes and the England team have got to make Steve Smith feel guilty and play on that," said Panesar.

"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," he added.

Smith, who will be leading Australia in the Ashes opener in place of injured Pat Cummins, was asked to comment on Panesar's remarks during the pre-match press conference earlier today at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

The right-handed batter took the opportunity to clap back at the former cricketer by referring to the latter's appearance at a TV show, named Celebrity Mastermind, during which he managed to give only one correct answer in the General Knowledge round.

Smith particularly mentioned Panesar wrongly calling Greece's capital, Athens, a part of Germany, and the United States of America (USA), as a city, to claim that his comments did not bother him.

"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."

Smith's response prompted Panesar to double down on his criticism of the sandpaper gate, stating he was 'guilty' of bad general knowledge instead of ball tampering.

"We've both made mistakes. I made mine on a quiz show, he made his on a cricket field," Panesar told BBC Radio 5Live.

"The night before the Test match he's watching my Mastermind clips, memorising the questions and the answers and it kind of feels like England are already in his head and I can rattle the Aussies from sitting on my sofa.

"It's opened up now for the England boys to really go hard at him, play a few mind games with him. It could be that difference where he gets out early and suddenly they're say 'thanks Monty'.

"I know I'm guilty of bad general knowledge, not ball tampering.

"It's obviously still a sensitive subject for him and I think no one thought he would respond in this way. I suppose he's clearly trying to deviate from the subject, but still quite a sensitive one for him."