India, Feb. 18 -- When irate fans and former greats woke up on Tuesday morning (owing to the time difference) to news of Australia's potential elimination from the T20 World Cup after their defeat to Sri Lanka, criticism quickly followed. Much of it was directed at the selectors and team management.

Broadcast visuals and the scorecard confirmed that Steve Smith, flown to Kandy as a late injury replacement, did not feature in the XI and instead carried drinks alongside Matt Renshaw.

Experts across platforms had already questioned Smith's non-selection in the lead-up to the tournament. But once he was in the squad, leaving the former captain out of a must-win game only deepened the confusion. Equally puzzling was the omission of Renshaw, ...