The tension circling the first Ashes Test in Perth has gone up a few notches, shifting from cricket tactics to personal insults before a ball has even been bowled. With Pat Cummins injured and Steve Smith stepping up as stand-in captain, the atmosphere was already tense, but a war of words with former England spinner Monty Panesar has truly ignited the rivalry.

The drama began when Panesar encouraged the England team to target Smith’s past. He urged the visitors to reopen the "Sandpapergate" wounds, suggesting they call the Australians "cheaters" to make Smith feel guilty about his leadership role. Smith, however, didn't stay silent.

During his pre-match press conference, he arrived with a prepared response. Instead of addressing the ethics of his captaincy, Steve Smith mocked Panesar’s intelligence, reciting wrong answers Monty Panesar had given on Celebrity Mastermind, such as claiming "Athens is in Germany" and that "Oliver Twist" is a season many years ago.

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Far from being embarrassed, Panesar has laughed off the insult and claimed a psychological victory. Reacting to Smith’s detailed reply, Panesar suggested that the Australian captain’s preparation proved he was rattled. "It’s an interesting one. I think it’s still in his head, 100 per cent," Panesar said. "I find it so funny that he’s memorised the questions and answers."

Monty Panesar believes Smith used the quiz jokes as a shield to avoid talking about the ball-tampering scandal, noting, "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."

The former spinner is now convincing England to use this against Smith on the field. "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’," he explained. He even scripted the perfect sledge for the English players. "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?'"

For Monty Panesar, this distraction is exactly what England needs. "Making him uncomfortable is the key," he added. "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? England will be thinking we need to do this every time."