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The Journey of a Cult tends to be defined by distinct phases.

1. The Core Concept

A charismatic leader or figureheads introduce a new and transcendent idea offering a panacea for alienated and vulnerable people.

Thus we find ourselves. Preparations are underway to challenge the establishment in Australia. The gunships are circling. Conflict emerges from within. An isolated player, vulnerable, anxious, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT displayed prominently in chicken blood, has emerged into view and is removed with discretion for a temporary assignment at Derbyshire.

Do you recall the start, when optimism reigned? The days of Bazball 1.0, of pure instinct.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects guarantee a new start, optimism ahead, support, redemption within a community who all believe in the philosophy.

What was this thing back then? Just men on a balcony basking in glory. Tattoos. Forearms. Focus. Confident masculinity. Of course, England’s players often say they don’t use the label, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what did we see?

Yet it’s clear what it is. It’s the player playing a shot so outrageous it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, an expression conveying: thoughtful warrior, beard made of wood, natural look, genuinely raw you half-expect to glance over and notice he’s fielding at mid-off bare-chested embracing nature.

It’s the opener continuing to have permission to talk in press conferences, resembling a cheerful animal smartly dressed, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Indeed, the vibe, for a significant period, was entirely positive.

3. Expansion Period

Development stage. Togetherness strengthened via memorization of mantras. These principles are often illogical to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The reaction, the anger, the sense of betrayal after the first Ashes Test defeat feels overblown, unwarranted. The performance was poor in Perth, as history shows. They were torn apart in the field in a short span when tactics failed, carved around by Travis Head imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, a performer excelling with aura.

Now there is the attacks, the rage, the perception of the team as a failure. The consensus is that England don’t just need to lose, they need to lose righteously, to be purged, destroyed, defeated via traditional methods of the pace attack, the simple basics of the bowler, out there celebrating successes humbly similar to getting a rewarding prize. What will this do to them?

4. External Conflict

Issues emerge because of mistakes. But the cult cannot admit errors. It turns to anger towards critics.

The fact remains, a few days before the next match, we have now reached a delicious point of tension in the story of this thing. England could quite easily win in Brisbane in a blur of adrenal disruption. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it seems we could be witnessing the death cult phase.

Prior to that, there are two things to note about this. In the past, back in those heady early days, of passion and hope, an piece was published calling it a phenomenon. There was outrage, which demonstrated since it’s clear a method to show something definitely isn’t a cult is when its acolytes send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages rejecting criticism of its truths.

What has happened in the last few days are equally notable. Criticism of the approach has turned into a movement. We have a uniformly angry internet, disappointed commentators, images of frustrated followers overseas missing out on play, similar to timeshare owners seeking justice.

Conversely, there is the broader context of the opponent’s mixed deep-seated frustration with the aggressive tourists, stating, hey, that thing you love and have honed as part of your identity culturally from us, well, it’s all a bit of a gag after all.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. Bazball was a cult as the game has its own culture. Or rather, English cricket has always been a cult, a clique, a private event, a restricted environment with centuries of ceremonial past defining it. Historically, this was where entry is limited. It’s the imperial sport of the nation, the original sports washers. And guess what, Britain is itself a cult, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a royal family remains.

England’s cricketers have been sealed up in this system from a young age. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their upbringing, forming a new circle, an exclusive group, but now with a modern squad and a leader encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Live where your feet are. Embrace challenges. However much you change, you remain stuck.

Considering this, now is the time to offer compassion for the approach, to acknowledge its merits, which are significant. What is Bazball? Creating a sense of freedom. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with