There was a sense of Groundhog Day when Smith top-scored with 71 in a total of 198 in Darwin after battling trio Jake Weatherald (23), Marnus Labuschagne (one) and Cameron Green (13) all failed to fire in the first innings.
Weatherald and Labuschagne spoke pre-Test about the adjustments in technique and approach they had made, while Green had been encouraged by captain Pat Cummins to "intimidate" the Bangladesh bowlers.
But Weatherald and Green both played poor shots and Labuschagne was undone by an indecisive push around off-stump.
Labuschagne has not scored a Test century in more than three years, Weatherald averages 22.4 in 11 Test knocks and Green has not gone past 52 in 15 innings in the current World Test Championship cycle, while averaging 26.28.
The ball did move around at Marrara Stadium early, as it has done in recent seasons on Test grounds across the country, and the batters were tested.
"I have said for a while that batting at the top of the order in Australia at the moment is as tough as I have seen in my career, by a mile," Smith said.
"The ball is seaming significantly. It is extremely tricky and you need some luck definitely as a top-order batter.
"The guys got off to a decent start today - Jake and Heady (Travis Head) - and then we lost a few in clumps."
Smith said he expected the same challenges would apply "in South Africa with their Kookaburra ball" when Australia play a three-Test tour in October.
Australia also endured first-innings Test collapses in Perth in 2024 and 2025 - scoring 104 against India and 132 against England - after similar long red-ball lay-offs.
Smith said that trend hadn't been occupying his thoughts but made the point that the players all had ample opportunity to get ready to perform.
"It can take people a little bit of time to get into their work but there are no excuses. We have had a load of training in Brisbane with match simulation stuff," he said.
"We have trained here. We have done plenty so there are no excuses there, that is for sure."
Smith could easily have been out twice before he reached 10 with a dropped catch and a DRS decision which ruled he had not nicked a delivery which even he thought he had.
He admitted he'd had a bit of luck but added that batters had to find ways to put pressure back on the bowlers and put them off their lengths when they were bowling well, as he did against Bangladesh.
"Or maybe go the other way and come into our shell a bit and read the game and play what is in front of us," he said.
Australia did not do that and paid the price, with Bangladesh showing far more composure to reach 1-96 at stumps.
