Former England cricket player Monty Panesar has issued a response to statements made by Australian captain Steve Smith prior to the Ashes series. Panesar and Smith engaged in a verbal exchange before the First Test in Perth last month, which ended in a quick defeat for the visiting team.
England, led by Ben Stokes, faced an eight-wicket loss at the Optus Stadium and have now traveled to Brisbane for the Second Test at The Gabba. Before the series opener, Panesar advised England to exploit the 2018 ball-tampering scandal to unsettle Australia and gain an advantage.
In reaction to Panesar’s comments, Smith brought up Panesar’s appearance on BBC’s Celebrity Mastermind in 2019. Smith humorously mentioned Panesar’s performance on the show during a press conference, drawing attention to some comical answers given by Panesar.
Panesar has now retaliated against Smith’s remarks, expressing surprise at Smith’s familiarity with his Celebrity Mastermind answers. Panesar shared his amusement at being able to unsettle Australians from his sofa and expressed a desire for England to have won the Test match.
Regarding the sandpaper incident, Panesar mentioned that the British media did not emphasize it when he initially discussed it. He speculated that Ben Stokes could potentially use it as a psychological advantage against Australia.
Reflecting on Smith’s performance in the match, Panesar noted a sense of nerves in Smith’s batting and underlined Smith’s stature as a great player and captain. Panesar highlighted the strategic move by Smith to promote Travis Head in the batting order.
Panesar concluded by suggesting that it is up to the England team, particularly Stokes, to decide whether to leverage the incident as a psychological tactic. The ongoing feud between Panesar and Smith continues to add intrigue to the Ashes series.
Monty Panesar shared these insights in an interview with BOYLE Sports, a platform offering the latest cricket odds ahead of the second Ashes Test match. Cricket enthusiasts can catch all the Ashes action commencing on November 21 live on TNT Sports via discovery+ or Prime Video’s TNT Sports channel.