In an unexpected twist to the Ashes buildup, former England spinner Monty Panesar found himself at the centre of pre-Test drama after attempting to revive Australia's sandpaper scandal. However, Steve Smith delivered the perfect counter-attack by dredging up Panesar's infamous Celebrity Mastermind calamity from 2019.
The Mastermind Meltdown That Backfired
Panesar had suggested England should use the sandpaper shame involving Smith and Australia to gain psychological advantage ahead of Friday's first Test. When confronted with this at a press conference, Smith came prepared with what many are calling the ultimate rebuttal.
The Australian batsman referenced Panesar's disastrous 2019 BBC Celebrity Mastermind appearance, where the cult hero of English cricket managed just seven points in total. Panesar himself later described the experience to Daily Mail Sport as 'like the Titanic ramming the Hindenburg'.
Question by Question: The Full Mastermind Disaster
The former spinner started reasonably well, scoring six points on his specialist subject about Sikh religion and its history. However, things unravelled spectacularly during the general knowledge round with presenter John Humphreys.
When asked how many pockets are on a full-size snooker table, Panesar correctly answered 'six'. But the wheels quickly came off as he identified Cancer as 'Sagittar- Scorpion' and confused A.A. Milne's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows with 'Harry Potter'.
The errors continued to mount as he named Elizabeth as Henry VIII's wife who died after childbirth (correct answer: Jane) and identified Shanghai as the Asian island city state served by Changi International Airport (correct answer: Singapore).
Perhaps most ironically given the current cricket context, Panesar failed to recognise 'The Full Monty' as the film about unemployed Sheffield men becoming strippers, instead answering 'The Dream Boys'.
Smith's Perfect Response to Mind Games
Steve Smith's decision to bring up the Mastermind disaster demonstrates how prepared the Australian camp is for any psychological warfare ahead of the Ashes series. Rather than engaging directly with the sandpaper taunt, Smith effectively discredited Panesar's opinion through humour and perfect timing.
The exchange highlights how past media appearances can come back to haunt sports personalities when they enter the fray of pre-match mind games. Panesar's attempt to ramp up pressure on the Australian team ultimately backfired spectacularly.
As the first Test approaches at Edgbaston, this unusual exchange has added an extra layer of intrigue to the age-old rivalry between English and Australian cricket.
