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The Journey of a Cult can be defined by specific steps.

1. The Grand Vision

A charismatic leader or coaches present a revolutionary approach offering a panacea for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. They’re getting ready to challenge the establishment in Australia. The gunships are circling. Signs of trouble appear from the out-houses. An isolated player, exposed, nervous, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT written on his body as a statement, has stumbled through the lines and is removed in secrecy to a different team elsewhere.

Remember the beginning, when the world was still young? The days of Bazball 1.0, of pure instinct.

2. Love-Bombing

Cult leaders offer a new start, hope for a future, camaraderie, success among a group with shared faith in the philosophy.

What did it represent initially? A team united basking in glory. Tattoos. Forearms. Jawlines. Peak performance vibes. Admittedly, The team insist Bazball doesn’t actually exist, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what did we see?

However, everyone understands the concept. It’s Harry Brook playing a shot so outrageous it’s beyond belief. It’s the thrill of Ben Stokes in his final form, a demeanor suggesting: thoughtful warrior, strong features, hair woven from beaver hide, so authentically Modern Savage you almost imagine to notice and find him positioned in the field shirtless embracing nature.

It’s Ben Duckett still being allowed speaking publicly, resembling a happy little woodland creature formally attired, expressing thoughts like we’re breaking down traditions. Indeed, the vibe, for a significant period, was uplifting.

3. A New Life

Growth phase. Togetherness strengthened by rote learning of mantras. These principles can appear contradictory as a loyalty check.

Is it just me? The reaction, the anger, the sense of betrayal following the initial loss feels overblown, overdone. The batting collapsed on the field, as they often do in Australia. They were torn apart defensively in a short span as plans unraveled, manipulated by the opponent imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, a performer excelling with a kind of light around him.

Now there is the pile-on, the rage, the perception of the team as a disgrace. The consensus is that England don’t just need to lose, they need to lose righteously, to be cleansed, destroyed, destroyed by the vengeful purity of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of Scott Boland, marking achievements humbly similar to getting a nice new fishing rod. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Issues emerge due to setbacks. Yet, mistakes are denied. It begins to thrive on anger towards critics.

Ultimately, a few days before the upcoming game, we are at a critical juncture in the lifespan of this movement. England could quite easily win in the next Test through aggressive play. Alternatively, they could lose just as quickly. Should they fail it seems we really might be entering the final stage.

Before that happens, there are two things worth saying about this. In the past, back in those heady early days, of passion and hope, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. People were very angry, which was helpful because everyone knows a method to show lack of cult status is should followers react defensively objecting to the questioning of the beliefs.

What has happened in the last few days is just as interesting. Criticism of the approach is now the trend. Online outrage is widespread, angry English pundits, shots of angry middle-aged supporters abroad missing out on play, similar to investors demanding recourse.

Conversely, there is the broader context of the host’s complex ingrained annoyance at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, stating, the methods you value and have honed as one way of separating yourself culturally from us, it’s just a joke after all.

This is the core issue. It’s all cults. The style was a trend since the sport itself is insular. Or rather, the sport in England is closed, a clique, a private event, a restricted environment with centuries of opaque and ritualistic cult history defining it. Historically, this was where entry is limited. It’s the British pastime of the British, the original sports washers. And surprisingly, Britain is itself a cult, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been enclosed in this system from a young age. Seeking change, to foster positivity, they are just repeating their own experience, building another enclosure, a closed circle, however with 15 cool guys and a coach encouraging individuality provided you conform.

Live where your feet are. Run towards the danger. However much you change, you remain stuck.

With this mind, now is the time to show understanding for the approach, to recognize its positives, of which there are many. What is Bazball? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with