India, March 5 -- Ben Dwarshuis, four matches. Nathan Ellis, 11. Cooper Connolly, three. Tanveer Sangha, three.

This was the card Steve Smith was dealt with in Tuesday's Champions Trophy semifinal. This was, minus Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell, the sum total of his bowling resources. It was this attack with which he had to try and defend 264 against a cracking Indian batting line-up full of dazzling stroke-makers, its depth evidenced by Ravindra Jadeja batting at No. 8.

Smith didn't ask for this. Maybe he didn't even want this - scratch that, he is cut from a different cloth - but this is what he had to make do with. The Australian captaincy had only come his way because Pat Cummins, the man who took them to the World Test Championship a...