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Australia stand-in captain Steve Smith has 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 that England should make Smith feel “guilty” about his role in the 2018 “Sandpapergate” scandal.
Smith was sacked as captain as a result of a ball-tampering incident against South Africa, often used by England fans to mock the 36-year-old.
In what appears to be an arranged exchange between Smith and a journalist, a question was asked about Panesar’s comments during a two-minute pre-match press conference at Perth Stadium.
Smith responded by referring to Panesar’s appearance on the BBC TV show Mastermind, when he could only get one answer correct.
“I’m going off topic here,” Smith said. “Who among you in the room saw the mastermind and Monty Panesar in it? Which one of you?”
“Those of you who understand will understand where I’m coming from. If you don’t, do yourselves a favor because it’s very comedic.
“Anyone who thinks that Athena is in Germany, that Oliver Twist is a season of the year, and that America is a city, those comments don’t really bother me. That’s as far as I’ll go with that comment.”
One of the most eagerly anticipated Ashes series in recent memory begins on Friday.
Until Smith’s bite at Panesar, players in both teams refrained from getting involved in animosity towards each other.
The West Australian has been attacking the England team since their arrival in Perth.
Thursday’s front page described the tourists as “arrogant poms.”
In an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, England coach Brendon McCullum said the hype surrounding the series was “pretty great”.
Smith stands in for regular skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the first Test with a back injury.
For the Australia captain, turning his attention to Panesar the day before the start of the massive Test series was a bizarre turn of events, and the most memorable line in a 17-minute speech to the media.
In 2024, Panesar announced his interest in standing as an MP in the UK Labor Party’s general election, but withdrew after a week.
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