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Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith responded to Monty Panesar with a pointed remark, bringing up the former England spinner’s infamous quiz-show blunder.

Monty Panesar said that England’s team, their travelling fans, and the British media should keep reminding Steve Smith about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. He believes the stand-in Australian captain should feel “guilty” about what happened as he takes over from Pat Cummins for the first Test. His comments brought the Sandpapergate issue back into discussion and were meant to distract one of Australia’s main batters.

“I’m going to change the subject for a moment. Has anyone here watched Mastermind with Monty Panesar on it?” Smith asked.

Smith didn’t let the comments go unanswered. When a reporter brought up Panesar’s criticism at the pre-match press briefing, the stand-in Australian captain hit back with a planned, sharp remark, pointing to Panesar’s blunder-filled stint on Celebrity Mastermind in 2019.

“Anyone who has seen it will know exactly what I mean. And if you haven’t, you really should, as it’s pretty hilarious. Imagine thinking Athens is in Germany, or that Oliver Twist is the name of a season, or that America is just a city. That should tell you everything.”

“Those comments don’t affect me, and that’s all I’m willing to say on the matter.”

Panesar’s stint on the BBC quiz show became famous after he gave a series of bizarre and incorrect answers during a general knowledge segment hosted by John Humphrys. Smith’s comments brought the clip back into the spotlight, and it has started trending on social media just before the opening Ashes Test.