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The Journey of a Cult tends to be defined by specific steps.

1. The Big Idea

A charismatic leader or coaches propose an innovative concept pledging a panacea for struggling players.

Thus we find ourselves. Plans are in motion to challenge the establishment in Australia. The gunships are circling. Conflict emerges from within. An isolated player, exposed, shivering, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT written on his body as a statement, has stumbled through the lines and is taken aside under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

Remember the early days, when optimism reigned? The era of early Bazball, of Bazball without brains.

2. Love-Bombing

Team architects promise a new start, hope for a future, support, success within a community who all believe in the philosophy.

What did it represent back then? Players celebrating enjoying success. Tattoos. Muscles. Jawlines. Peak performance vibes. Admittedly, England’s players insist it’s not a real term, amusingly since it’s not recognized, what was that spectacle?

However, everyone understands the concept. It’s Harry Brook playing a shot so outrageous it has to be pixelated. It’s the excitement of the leader in ultimate mode, a demeanor suggesting: thoughtful warrior, strong features, untamed style, truly contemporary you wouldn’t be surprised to glance over and find him positioned on the ground shirtless holding a fish.

It’s the batsman often seen addressing the media, resembling a happy little woodland creature formally attired, expressing thoughts like we’re challenging norms. And yes, the energy, initially, was uplifting.

3. The Growth Phase

Growth phase. Cohesion maintained via memorization of the cult’s slogans. These ideas can appear contradictory to prove commitment.

Is it just me? The reaction, the fury, the feeling of letdown following the initial loss appears excessive, too much. The batting collapsed on the field, as is typical there. They were savaged defensively in a short span as plans unraveled, outplayed by the batsman imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, a man playing with a kind of light around him.

Now there is the attacks, the rage, the sense of English Test cricket as a failure. The opinion suggests that losing isn’t enough, they should be dismantled, to be cleansed, flame-throwered, defeated through sheer skill of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, seen enjoying his wickets modestly as if receiving a pleasant gift. How will they respond?

4. The Backlash Phase

Problems arise because of mistakes. However, faults are ignored. It begins to thrive on anger towards critics.

The fact remains, a few days before the next match, we have now reached an intriguing moment in the lifespan of this thing. Victory is possible in the next Test in a blur of adrenal disruption. More likely, defeat could come swiftly. Should they fail it appears we could be witnessing the decline.

Before that happens, several aspects to note about this. More than two years ago, back in those heady early days, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article suggesting Bazball was a cult. People were very angry, which was helpful as it’s known a method to show something definitely isn’t a cult is should followers react defensively rejecting criticism of the beliefs.

What has happened in the last few days are fascinating. Opposition to the style has turned into a movement. Social media is furious, critical analysts, shots of angry middle-aged followers overseas missing out on play, like a room full of investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, we have the wider backdrop of the host’s complex ingrained annoyance with the aggressive tourists, out there saying, the methods you value and have fostered and nurtured as part of your identity from others, it’s not serious in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. Everything is a cult. Bazball was a cult since the sport itself is insular. In fact, the team has long been exclusive, a circle, an elite gathering, a closed world with a long history of ceremonial past defining it. It has long been where entry is limited. It’s the British pastime of the British, the pioneering brand. And surprisingly, the country is a phenomenon, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been isolated in this system for years. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are just repeating their past, building another enclosure, a limited community, but doing it this time with a modern squad and a leader promoting authenticity if you fit the mold.

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

Reflecting on this, it is perhaps the moment to offer compassion for the approach, to appreciate its good points, of which there are many. How to define it? Creating a sense of freedom. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with