New Delhi, Nov. 21 -- Former England spinner Monty Panesar and Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith engage in a bitter public feud over the infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal, with psychological warfare reaching fever pitch just hours before the first Ashes Test in Perth.

The first Test of the Ashes 2025 series has erupted not with bat and ball, but with one of cricket's most venomous verbal exchanges in recent memory. Former England spinner Monty Panesar and Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith have plunged into a public feud that has dredged up the sport's darkest scandal while exposing raw nerves on both sides ahead of the blockbuster Perth showdown.

What began as tactical advice from a retired cricketer has morphed into a ...