Steve Smith's T20 World Cup 2026 Entry Mirrors Shahnawaz Dahani's Asia Cup Fiasco

• Steve Smith joined Australia's T20 World Cup 2026 squad as a replacement for injured Josh Hazlewood.
• Smith arrived late, did not play, and Australia was eliminated from the tournament's group stage.
• Australia suffered defeats to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, failing to chase 170 against Zimbabwe and losing to Sri Lanka with 2 overs to spare.
• The situation drew comparisons to Pakistan's Shahnawaz Dahani, who also traveled for the Asia Cup 2023 but didn't play as Pakistan was eliminated.
• Australia's early exit marks their first group stage elimination in a T20 World Cup since 2009.