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

1. The Grand Vision

A charismatic leader or coaches introduce a new and transcendent idea that promises a cure for alienated and vulnerable people.

Thus we find ourselves. Preparations are underway to challenge the establishment overseas. Pressure is mounting. Signs of trouble appear from the sidelines. One individual, vulnerable, anxious, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET written on his body as a symbol, has emerged into view and is being led away in secrecy towards an inconclusive loan stint at Derbyshire.

Do you ever miss the beginning, when everything was fresh? The era of early Bazball, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders guarantee a reboot, hope for a future, support, redemption within a community united in belief in the big idea.

What was this thing at first? Players celebrating basking in glory. Body art. Muscles. Determination. Peak performance vibes. Admittedly, The team will claim it’s not a real term, which is funny since it’s not recognized, what did we see?

But we know its essence. It’s the player playing a shot so unconventional it’s beyond belief. It’s the adrenaline of the leader at his peak, an expression conveying: focused titan, strong features, untamed style, truly contemporary you almost imagine to look down and see him playing on the ground bare-chested holding a fish.

It’s Ben Duckett still being allowed to talk in press conferences, resembling a cheerful animal formally attired, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Indeed, the energy, initially, was only good energy.

3. A New Life

Development stage. Cohesion maintained by rote learning of mantras. These principles can appear contradictory as a loyalty check.

Does anyone else feel? The backlash, the anger, the sense of betrayal after the first Ashes Test defeat seems too strong, unwarranted. The performance was poor during the match, as is typical there. They were torn apart while bowling in a short span as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by the opponent batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, a performer excelling with aura.

Now there is the criticism, the frustration, the view of the sport as a kind of abomination. The feeling seems to be that defeat must be total, they need to lose righteously, to be cleansed, obliterated, destroyed by the vengeful purity of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the simple basics of the bowler, out there celebrating successes with a bashful smile like he’s just been given a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. External Conflict

Challenges surface from failures in the plan. Yet, mistakes are denied. It starts to feed on anger towards critics.

In truth, half a week out the next match, we’ve entered a critical juncture in the story of this movement. England could quite easily win in Brisbane with bold tactics. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it feels like we may see the death cult phase.

Before that happens, several aspects to note on the topic. In the past, during the initial excitement, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. Criticism followed, which demonstrated as it’s known a method to show that it’s not a closed group is if supporters send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages denying scrutiny of its truths.

The developments in the last few days are equally notable. It seems that hating Bazball has turned into a movement. We have a uniformly angry internet, disappointed commentators, images of frustrated travelling fans cheated out of three days of cricket, reminiscent of investors demanding recourse.

Conversely, we have the wider backdrop of the opponent’s mixed more culturally hard-wired exasperation at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have honed as one way of separating yourself culturally from us, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. The style was a trend since the sport itself is insular. Or at least, English cricket has always been a cult, a circle, an elite gathering, a restricted environment with centuries of opaque and ritualistic cult history behind it. It has long been where entry is limited. It’s the imperial sport of England, the original sports washers. And surprisingly, Britain is itself a cult, a structure of hidden ranks, a royal family remains.

The players have been sealed up within this world for years. Attempting to break free, to build a better atmosphere, they are just repeating their past, forming a new circle, a closed circle, but now with 15 cool guys and a mentor encouraging individuality provided you conform.

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

With this mind, it is perhaps the moment to have some sympathy for the movement, to acknowledge its merits, which are significant. How to define it? Creating a sense of freedom. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with