Former England National Cricket Team spinner Monty Panesar has fired back at the brutal jibe taken by the Australia National Cricket Team batting superstar Steve Smith ahead of the Ashes.
In a scathing remark, Monty Panesar said that both he and Steve Smith made mistakes, but he did on the Mastermind show while the modern-day Aussie great did that on the cricket field.
I think it’s still in his head, 100 per cent - Monty Panesar
The Ashes 2025-26 is all set to start on November 21 in Perth, and ahead of the series opener, the verbal banters between the former and current cricketers have already started.
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One of the notable banter has emerged between the stand-in Australia skipper Steve Smith and the former England spinner Monty Panesar.
Notably, a few days back, Panesar had urged the Englishmen to be ruthless and target Steve Smith by reminding him of the sandpaper-gate ball-tampering scandal to make him feel "guilty".
Smith responded to Panesar's comments at a pre-match press conference, where he went "off-topic" to brutally troll Monty Panesar, over his failed appearance on Celebrity Mastermind.
The former England spinner was quick to respond to Steve Smith as speaking to the PA news agency, he said:
"It’s an interesting one. I think it’s still in his head, 100 per cent. I find it so funny that he’s memorised the questions and answers."
The best way to deviate from it is to say something completely funny - Monty Panesar
Panesar said that Smith tried to brush off his comments by taking a comical route, but deep down, he's still affected by the ugly ball-tampering incident, which English players should mention while sledging him. He said:
"The best way to deviate from it is say something completely funny, comical, what I did on the show and it will move everything on.
“If I was in the England team right now, I’d be thinking ‘Monty’s just given us a piece of ammunition that we can use on Steve Smith."
"What I’m trying to do is help the England team – this is your opportunity; you’re at Perth, no Pat Cummins or Josh Hazlewood. If you’ve got the courage and you think it’s a good idea, say it to him," he added.
Say ‘Monty’s in your head, mate' - Monty Panesar
Panesar further urged the Ben Stokes-led side to get into Steve Smith's head by mentioning his name to make him uncomfortable in the middle. He elaborated:
"Say ‘Monty’s in your head, mate, you’ve got a number 11 batsman in your head, are you going to bat like him today?’
“Making him uncomfortable is the key. Ashes cricket is all about gaining one per centers, could this be the one per cent advantage for the England team to get Steve Smith out.
“Is this a one percenter where England can sledge him and all of the lads are going to get into him, make him uncomfortable for the first 10 to 20 balls, he doesn’t get going and gets out? (If that happens), England will be thinking we need to do this every time."
Also Read: Internal conflict? Sitanshu Kotak shockingly contradicts Gautam Gambhir over Kolkata pitch
Monty Panesar fires back at Steve Smith’s brutal dig with sensational comments as Ashes heats up
Published - 20 Nov 2025, 09:01 PM | Updated - 20 Nov 2025, 09:05 PM
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Former England National Cricket Team spinner Monty Panesar has fired back at the brutal jibe taken by the Australia National Cricket Team batting superstar Steve Smith ahead of the Ashes.
In a scathing remark, Monty Panesar said that both he and Steve Smith made mistakes, but he did on the Mastermind show while the modern-day Aussie great did that on the cricket field.
I think it’s still in his head, 100 per cent - Monty Panesar
The Ashes 2025-26 is all set to start on November 21 in Perth, and ahead of the series opener, the verbal banters between the former and current cricketers have already started.
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View MoreYour daily dose of cricket!
One of the notable banter has emerged between the stand-in Australia skipper Steve Smith and the former England spinner Monty Panesar.
Notably, a few days back, Panesar had urged the Englishmen to be ruthless and target Steve Smith by reminding him of the sandpaper-gate ball-tampering scandal to make him feel "guilty".
Smith responded to Panesar's comments at a pre-match press conference, where he went "off-topic" to brutally troll Monty Panesar, over his failed appearance on Celebrity Mastermind.
The former England spinner was quick to respond to Steve Smith as speaking to the PA news agency, he said:
"It’s an interesting one. I think it’s still in his head, 100 per cent. I find it so funny that he’s memorised the questions and answers."
The best way to deviate from it is to say something completely funny - Monty Panesar
Panesar said that Smith tried to brush off his comments by taking a comical route, but deep down, he's still affected by the ugly ball-tampering incident, which English players should mention while sledging him. He said:
"The best way to deviate from it is say something completely funny, comical, what I did on the show and it will move everything on.
“If I was in the England team right now, I’d be thinking ‘Monty’s just given us a piece of ammunition that we can use on Steve Smith."
"What I’m trying to do is help the England team – this is your opportunity; you’re at Perth, no Pat Cummins or Josh Hazlewood. If you’ve got the courage and you think it’s a good idea, say it to him," he added.
Say ‘Monty’s in your head, mate' - Monty Panesar
Panesar further urged the Ben Stokes-led side to get into Steve Smith's head by mentioning his name to make him uncomfortable in the middle. He elaborated:
"Say ‘Monty’s in your head, mate, you’ve got a number 11 batsman in your head, are you going to bat like him today?’
“Making him uncomfortable is the key. Ashes cricket is all about gaining one per centers, could this be the one per cent advantage for the England team to get Steve Smith out.
“Is this a one percenter where England can sledge him and all of the lads are going to get into him, make him uncomfortable for the first 10 to 20 balls, he doesn’t get going and gets out? (If that happens), England will be thinking we need to do this every time."
Also Read: Internal conflict? Sitanshu Kotak shockingly contradicts Gautam Gambhir over Kolkata pitch
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Steve Smith Monty Panesar Australia National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team Australia vs England The Ashes AshesAbout the Author
Sonanchal Gautam is a dedicated sports journalist, content manager, writer, and editor with over 4 y... Read more