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The Journey of a Cult can be characterized by clear stages.

1. The Grand Vision

An inspiring figure or coaches present an innovative concept that promises a solution for alienated and vulnerable people.

Thus we find ourselves. Preparations are underway to challenge the establishment down in Brisbane. Tensions are rising. Signs of trouble appear from the sidelines. An isolated player, vulnerable, shivering, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT smeared across his chest as a statement, has come staggering from the field and is removed in secrecy to a different team in county cricket.

Do you recall the start, when everything was fresh? The era of early Bazball, of Bazball without brains.

2. Initial Adoration

Cult leaders guarantee a reboot, hope for a future, camaraderie, success among a group with shared faith in the method.

How did it feel at first? Players celebrating basking in glory. Tattoos. Muscles. Jawlines. Elite male wellness energy. Oh sure, The squad often say Bazball doesn’t actually exist, amusingly because if it doesn’t exist, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear its essence. It’s the player playing a shot so depraved it’s beyond belief. It’s the thrill of the captain in ultimate mode, an expression conveying: pensive Nordic god, rugged appearance, untamed style, so authentically Modern Savage you wouldn’t be surprised to look down and find him positioned in the field stripped to the waist embracing nature.

It’s the opener often seen speaking publicly, out there looking like a joyful figure in a waistcoat, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. And yes, the energy, for a significant period, was only good energy.

3. The Growth Phase

Development stage. Unity enforced through repetition of mantras. These principles can appear contradictory to prove commitment.

Does anyone else feel? The criticism, the anger, the feeling of letdown following the initial loss seems too strong, too much. England batted badly in Perth, as is typical there. They were dominated defensively in a short span as plans unraveled, carved around by the opponent imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, a man playing with aura.

And now we have this the pile-on, the rage, the view of the sport as a disgrace. The feeling seems to be that losing isn’t enough, they should be dismantled, to be scoured, destroyed, destroyed through sheer skill of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, seen enjoying achievements humbly similar to getting a nice new fishing rod. What impact will this have?

4. Hate Bonding

Challenges surface because of mistakes. But the cult cannot admit errors. It begins to thrive on anger towards critics.

Ultimately, approaching from the second Test, we are at a critical juncture in the journey of this thing. England could quite easily win in the next Test with bold tactics. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. Should they fail it appears we may see the final stage.

Prior to that, a couple of points to note about this. In the past, during the initial excitement, of light and heat, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. Criticism followed, which demonstrated since it’s clear the best way of proving lack of cult status is when its acolytes react defensively rejecting criticism of its truths.

What has happened in the last few days is just as interesting. Opposition to the style has turned into a movement. Online outrage is widespread, critical analysts, pictures of upset followers overseas cheated out of three days of cricket, similar to investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, we have the wider backdrop of the host’s complex more culturally hard-wired exasperation with the aggressive tourists, out there saying, your cherished traditions and have fostered and nurtured as one way of separating yourself from others, well, it’s all a bit of a gag after all.

This is the core issue. Everything is a cult. The approach was a phenomenon because cricket is a cult. Or rather, English cricket has always been a cult, a circle, an elite gathering, a restricted environment with two hundred years of tradition and mystery behind it. This has always been where entry is limited. It’s the imperial sport of the nation, the early image-makers. And guess what, Britain is itself a cult, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been sealed up within this world for years. In trying to escape from it, to foster positivity, they are simply replicating their own experience, forming a new circle, an exclusive group, but now with 15 cool guys and a mentor encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Stay present. Embrace challenges. But no matter how fast and far you run, you’re always basically in the same place.

Considering this, it might be appropriate to show understanding for the approach, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. What is Bazball? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with