Perth, Australia – Australia captain Steve Smith ignited a pre-match firestorm thursday by launching an unexpected and pointed barb at former England spinner Monty Panesar, referencing a widely-mocked appearance on the BBC TV show Celebrity Mastermind. The unusual exchange occurred during a pre-Ashes Test press conference at Perth Stadium,just days before the first match of the highly anticipated series begins on Friday.
Smith’s comments came in response to a question seemingly pre-arranged with a journalist, addressing previous remarks made by Panesar. Smith then pivoted to Panesar’s 2019 Mastermind performance, where the cricketer answered only one question correctly in the general knowledge round, despite excelling in his specialist subject of Sikhism and its history. “I’m going to go off topic here,” Smith said. “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.” He continued, “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.”
The incident marks a departure from the relatively restrained pre-series rhetoric from both teams, until Smith’s unexpected attack.It also arrives amid heightened tensions,with the West Australian newspaper already engaging in provocative coverage of the england team,including a front page labeling them “arrogant Bazballing Poms.” Smith is captaining the Australian side in the first Test due to a back injury sidelining regular skipper Pat Cummins.
Smith was previously removed as captain following the 2018 ball-tampering scandal against South Africa, an incident frequently referenced by England fans. Panesar, who announced in 2024 his intention to run for Parliament before withdrawing a week later, was not immediately available for comment. England coach Brendon McCullum, in an interview with BBC Sport, described the series hype as “pretty cool.”
