Without being captain hindsight, the persistence of not having your best keeper in the hope a hybrid batter/keeper will get you consistent runs was an error. Smith is average at best behind the stumps, Pope is a batsman who has a pair of keeping gloves in his bag just in case. Carey has demonstrated the need for a good keeper on foreign soils. As Ringo wasn’t even the best drummer in the Beatles so Smith isnt even the best keeper at Surrey.
Also, apparently the English management didn’t think of booking the WACCA for a practice match before the first game until a few weeks ago - by which time it had been fully booked. Comical really.