Steve Smith mocks Monty Panesar's 'Mastermind' blunders over Sandpapergate
What's the story
Steve Smith, who is set to lead Australia in the Perth Test against England, has hit back at former England spinner Monty Panesar. The latter recently called for targeting Smith over the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal, which rocked Australian cricket. Smith, who was at the helm back then, took a jibe at Panesar when asked about the Englishman's remarks.
Provocation
Panesar's suggestion to target Smith
Ahead of the impending Ashes series, Panesar suggested that England should use psychological tactics against Smith, saying, "Ben Stokes and the England team have got to make Steve Smith feel guilty and play on that." He further added that the UK media should also join in. This was in reference to Sandpapergate, which remains a topic of discussion overseas.
Retaliation
Smith's witty response to the comments
Responding to Panesar's remarks, Smith mocked the former England spinner's appearance on the UK quiz show Celebrity Mastermind. He asked if anyone in the room had seen Panesar on it and described it as "pretty comical." The Australian star highlighted some of Panesar's blunders on the quiz show, saying, "Anyone who believes Athens 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."
Incident
The infamous ball-tampering incident from 2018
The Sandpapergate refers to the infamous ball-tampering incident that transpired in the 2018 Newlands Test between South Africa and Australia. Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera rubbing the ball with a piece of sandpaper in SA's second innings. He, along with then-skipper Smith and vice-captain David Warner, faced heavy suspensions thereafter. However, both Smith and Warner made a successful comeback to international cricket. The former has even stood as Australia's stand-in captain.
Ashes
Smith set to lead Australia in Perth
Coming to the impending Ashes series, Smith will lead Australia in the opener in place of the injured Pat Cummins. Australia have already named their Playing XI for the Perth Test, starting November 21. Australia XI: Jake Weatherald, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (captain), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, and Scott Boland.