Panesar Hits Back at Smith, Saying Bad General Knowledge is Better than Cheating

Former England spinner Monty Panesar has fired back at Steve Smith after the Australian Stand-in Captain mocked his infamous 2019 appearance on the BBC quiz show Mastermind during a pre-Ashes press conference. Smith, leading Australia in the first Test in the absence of Pat Cummins, had dismissed Panesar’s renewed criticism over the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal by jokingly urging reporters to watch the viral clip where Panesar claimed Athens is in Germany, Oliver Twist is a season, and America is a city.

Writing in his column for The Telegraph UK on Thursday, Panesar called Smith’s outburst “flattering and nothing short of hilarious,” insisting he had clearly rattled the Australian star on the eve of one of the biggest days of his career. “To think that he wanted to talk about me before leading Australia out against England is flattering… I must admit I am delighted to have gotten so far inside his head,” Panesar wrote, adding that if he could unsettle Smith so easily, Ben Stokes’ team would do far worse once the series began.

Panesar, who had earlier urged England players and fans to target Smith over his role in the Cape Town ball-tampering affair that earned him a 12-month ban and cost him the captaincy, refused to back down. “We’ve both made mistakes, but at least mine was on a celebrity quiz show. His was on a cricket field,” he wrote. “If I’m guilty of anything, it’s having bad general knowledge. That’s better than being a cheat.”

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The 43-year-old former left-arm spinner accused Smith of revealing “massive weakness and mental vulnerability” by dredging up a six-year-old clip rather than confronting his past. “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,” Panesar added.

Smith had laughed off Panesar’s barbs in Perth on Thursday, saying the comments “don’t really bother me” before launching into a word-perfect recounting of the Mastermind gaffes. The exchange has added fresh spice to an already charged Ashes build-up, with the first Test underway at Optus Stadium and Australia already dominating after Mitchell Starc’s triple strike on day one.

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