Was there some supernatural transference of powers,some stranger thing,in England in 2019? Maybe this is over-dramatising it (which would also be a very Smith thing to do). His career Test average is still 60.
His decline hasn’t been all that apocalyptic,and the technical revamp is not like he’s suddenly playing with two left feet. Instead of deploying idiosyncratic footwork to mess with a bowler’s head,his line and his length,Smith is standing still at the crease and moving his feet late.