Australian captain Steve Smith has taken a hilarious swipe at former England spinner Monty Panesar in his press conference on the eve of the first Ashes Test in Perth.
Panesar made headlines in the build up to the series by saying that the England team and the British tabloids should target Smith over the Sandpapergate scandal.
“Ben Stokes and the England team have got to make Steve Smith feel guilty and play on that,” Panesar said.
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“Say something like, ‘I don’t think it’s ethical that he’s the captain, I don’t think he played the game fairly’. Really get into him and make him feel guilty about it. Make him feel like, ‘they’re probably right, I shouldn’t be here, I shouldn’t be doing this.’”
“This is where the UK media must also focus and put pressure. Use it as a way to help England,” he added.
“I hope that England uses it as an advantage and don’t just get quiet about it because we know he bats well when he’s captaining Australia.
“If it were the opposite, the Australian media would be all over it. They would have said, if it was any of the English players, ‘the cheaters have arrived’. Right?”
Watch Steve Smith roast Monty Panesar in the video above
Smith did not miss his chance to return serve.
Shortly after announcing that Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett will make their debuts on Friday, Smith was asked by a reporter about Panesar’s comments.
The champion batter clearly came prepared as he referenced Panesar’s embarrassing 2019 appearance on UK quiz show Mastermind.
“I’m gonna go off topic for a second here,” Smith said. “Who have you in the room have seen Mastermind and Monty Panesar on that?
“Any of you? Yeah. Well those of you that have, you’ll understand where I’m coming from, and those of you haven’t, do yourself a favour because it’s pretty comical.
“Anyone that believes that Athens is in Germany, that’s a start, Oliver Twist is a season of the year and America is a city, doesn’t really bother me those comments.
“Yeah, that’s as far as I’ll go with that one.”
Originally published as ‘Comical’: Smith eviscerates England icon in hilariously brutal reply over Sandpaper sledge
Read related topics:Perth
