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The Journey of a Cult can be marked by distinct phases.

1. The Big Idea

A dominant personality or coaches introduce an innovative concept pledging a cure for disconnected individuals.

And so it goes. Preparations are underway to storm the compound in Australia. Pressure is mounting. Conflict emerges from the sidelines. A lone figure, exposed, nervous, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT written on his body as a symbol, has stumbled through the lines and is being led away in secrecy to a different team in county cricket.

Do you recall the early days, when the world was still young? The era of early Bazball, of uninhibited aggression.

2. Initial Adoration

Cult leaders guarantee a reboot, a brighter tomorrow, support, salvation among a group united in belief in the big idea.

How did it feel initially? Players celebrating basking in glory. Ink. Muscles. Focus. Confident masculinity. Admittedly, England’s players will claim they don’t use the label, ironically as it’s denied, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear what it is. It’s the batsman executing a stroke so unconventional it defies description. It’s the thrill of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, a look that says: pensive Nordic god, rugged appearance, hair woven from beaver hide, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to look down and see him playing at mid-off stripped to the waist and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the opener still being allowed addressing the media, out there looking like a joyful figure in a waistcoat, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. And yes, the energy, initially, was entirely positive.

3. A New Life

Building period. Cohesion maintained by rote learning of key phrases. These ideas are often illogical as a test of “true belief”.

Am I alone? The criticism, the fury, the sense of betrayal following the initial loss appears excessive, unwarranted. England batted badly during the match, as they often do in Australia. They were dominated while bowling for a couple of hours as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by the batsman batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, an athlete shining with a kind of light around him.

Currently, we see the criticism, the anger, the view of the sport as a failure. The opinion suggests that defeat must be total, they must be humbled, to be scoured, flame-throwered, overwhelmed by the vengeful purity of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the conventional tactics of Scott Boland, seen enjoying achievements with a bashful smile like he’s just been given a pleasant gift. How will they respond?

4. Hate Bonding

Challenges surface due to setbacks. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hostility externally.

In truth, a few days before the next match, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the story of this thing. England could quite easily win in Brisbane through aggressive play. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it seems we really might be entering the decline.

Ahead of this, there are two things to consider on the topic. More than two years ago, back in those heady early days, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article labeling it a movement. There was outrage, which proved the point because everyone knows a method to show something definitely isn’t a cult is should followers respond with anger objecting to the questioning of the beliefs.

Recent events recently are fascinating. Opposition to the style has now become the cult. We have a uniformly angry internet, disappointed commentators, images of frustrated supporters abroad disappointed by the short match, like a room full of investors demanding recourse.

On the other hand, there is the broader context of the host’s complex more culturally hard-wired exasperation with the aggressive tourists, out there saying, hey, that thing you love and have developed as one way of separating yourself culturally from us, it’s just a joke after all.

And this is the real point. All movements are similar. Bazball was a cult because cricket is a cult. In fact, English cricket has always been a cult, a clique, an elite gathering, an insular community with a long history of opaque and ritualistic cult history defining it. Historically, this was where entry is limited. It’s the imperial sport of England, the pioneering brand. And guess what, Britain is itself a cult, a system of unknown levels, a monarchy still exists.

The team have been sealed up within this world from a young age. Attempting to break free, to foster positivity, they are simply replicating their own experience, creating another a bubble, a closed circle, however with 15 cool guys and a leader encouraging individuality provided you conform.

Focus on the moment. Confront risks. But no matter how fast and far you run, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, it is perhaps the moment to have some sympathy for the approach, to appreciate its good points, which are significant. What is Bazball? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with