Steve Smith has a batting technique all his own, and it has served him quite well over a long time. But how Australia’s stand-in captain dealt with the first body-blow of the Ashes series that starts at Perth on Friday took everyone by surprise. He took an aggressive posture in dealing with the most embarrassing episode of his career – the 2018 Cape Town Sandpaper scandal.

When comments by former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar suggesting Smith’s role as skipper during the scandal be brought up when he comes out to bat were mentioned, the Australian stalwart referred to Panesar’s less-than-impressive performance on a TV quiz show.

The match-eve presser was twiddling with mundane questions when Smith took on a question that detonated the old landmine. Panesar, speaking to a betting

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