Former Australian skipper Steve Smith plays grade cricket

Glenn McGrath Oval is a ground like so many others around Australia: picturesque and inviting, complete with the picket fence, where the only thing that matters is the game.

A world away from those who scrutinise every ball. A world where young boys and girls dream of, one day, playing for their country.

Steve Smith is one of the privileged few to live that out dream — going from a suburban oval dreamer to world stage dominator in a handful of years.

A prodigious talent, his well-documented progression from grade cricket boy-wonder to international superstar was swift and spectacular. So too was his downfall.