Australia's Stand-in captain Steve Smith has fired back at Monty Panesar with some pre-match banter on the eve of the Ashes Test series. The former English left-arm spinner wanted the away fans and media to remind Smith about his role in the sandpapergate.
Smith, who made a temporary return to Test captaincy in The Ashes series, delivered a peculiar jibe on the former English spinner.
A timeless cricketing rivalry is all set to return as Australia hosts England for the five-match Ashes Test series. The bilateral red-ball series carries historical significance, which features thrilling moments and fierce on-field and player battles fueled with controversy.
To give some context, Monty Panesar wanted the England Cricket fans and analysts visiting Australia for the series to remind Steve Smith of his involvement in the ball tampering scandal, famously known as sandpapergate.
The former English spinner wanted the stand-in Australian skipper to feel 'guilty' for his involvement in one of cricket's most prominent scandals.
Steve Smith had done his homework, as he had a response ready to tackle Panesar's comment. He referred to the former English skipper's appearance on Celebrity Mastermind in 2019, and it was a comical affair.
“I’m going to go off topic here. Who 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 that believes that Athens is in Germany, that’s a start, or that 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," Steve Smith said at the pre-series press conference.
Ahead of the first Test match, Australia have named its Playing XI for the series opener Ashes clash in Western Australia. Two 31-year-old debutants have been named in the side, as Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett have been selected in the XI.
With Pat Cummins rested for the first match, Steve Smith will lead the charge as the stand-in captain. Marnus Labuschagne will return to the number three spot.
Unfortunately, all-rounder Beau Webster has been left out of the playing squad.
The first AUS vs ENG clash will take place at the Perth Stadium in Western Australia, starting on November 21.
