• Home
  • Who Said What
  • It Is Pretty Comical Steve Smith Destroys Monty Panesar Over Sandpaper Scandal Dig

"It is pretty comical": Steve Smith destroys Monty Panesar over Sandpaper scandal dig

Akshita Patel

Steve Smith reacts to Panesar's jibe [Source: @codecricketau, @SPORTYVISHAL/X.com]Steve Smith reacts to Panesar's jibe [Source: @codecricketau, @SPORTYVISHAL/X.com]

On the eve of the first Ashes Test in Perth, Steve Smith shocked everyone with an unexpected outburst aimed straight at former England spinner Monty Panesar. Instead of brushing off Panesar’s comments on the Sandpaper gate, Smith went all-in to discredit his opinion.

The drama began when Panesar recently urged England fans and media to target Smith over the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal. 

Panesar suggested Smith should be made to feel guilty about taking over as captain while Pat Cummins is unavailable. 

Steve Smith discredits Monty Panesar’s dig

Most players would have ignored such remarks. But not Smith. At his pre-match press conference, Steve Smith launched into a bizarre yet deliberate attack that left reporters stunned and laughing. 

“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," Smith said. 

He shifted away from cricket entirely and brought up Panesar’s famously awkward 2019 appearance on ‘Celebrity Mastermind.’ Smith also pointed out Panesar’s brain-fade moments.

"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," he added.

Meanwhile, Steve Smith will lead Australia in the first Ashes Test at Perth, as Pat Cummins is unavailable due to injury.

The host side have confirmed their playing XI, as Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett will be making their debuts.

What happened in the Sandpaper scandal?

The Sandpapergate scandal erupted in 2018 when Australia’s Cameron Bancroft was caught using a piece of yellow tape, later revealed to be sandpaper, to rough up the cricket ball during a Test against South Africa. 

Captain Steve Smith admitted he knew about the plan beforehand and, along with David Warner, was suspended by Cricket Australia. 

Smith also served a captaincy ban for a year, but Australia had already moved on with Pat Cummins. Still, after years, Steve Smith continues to be an integral part of the Test team.