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The Evolution of a Cult can be characterized by specific steps.

1. The Grand Vision

An inspiring figure or figureheads introduce a new and transcendent idea offering a cure for alienated and vulnerable people.

So here we are. They’re getting ready to confront the system in Australia. Tensions are rising. Signs of trouble appear from the sidelines. A lone figure, vulnerable, nervous, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET written on his body in chicken blood, has come staggering from the field and is being led away under a blanket for a temporary assignment at Derbyshire.

Do you ever miss the early days, when optimism reigned? The days of Bazball 1.0, of Bazball without brains.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects guarantee a reboot, optimism ahead, camaraderie, salvation among a group with shared faith in the big idea.

What was this thing initially? Just men on a balcony feeling good. Tattoos. Strength. Jawlines. Confident masculinity. Admittedly, England’s players will claim Bazball doesn’t actually exist, which is funny since it’s not recognized, what did we see?

But we know its essence. It’s the player attempting a move so outrageous it defies description. It’s the excitement of the captain at his peak, a look that says: focused titan, strong features, untamed style, truly contemporary you almost imagine to notice and find him positioned on the ground bare-chested and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s Ben Duckett continuing to have permission to talk in press conferences, out there looking like a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, uttering phrases such as we’re challenging norms. Indeed, the atmosphere, initially, was uplifting.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Togetherness strengthened by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These beliefs may seem irrational as a test of “true belief”.

Am I alone? The criticism, the fury, the feeling of letdown post-defeat seems too strong, unwarranted. England batted badly on the field, as history shows. They were savaged in the field in a short span as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, manipulated by Travis Head imitating their style effectively, adjusting to the pitch, an athlete shining with brilliance.

Now there is the pile-on, the anger, the sense of English Test cricket as a disgrace. The feeling seems to be that defeat must be total, they need to lose righteously, to be scoured, obliterated, overwhelmed through sheer skill of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of the veteran, marking achievements humbly similar to getting a nice new fishing rod. What impact will this have?

4. External Conflict

Issues emerge from failures in the plan. However, faults are ignored. It begins to thrive on hostility externally.

Ultimately, half a week out the upcoming game, we have now reached an intriguing moment in the story of this movement. England could quite easily win in Brisbane in a blur of adrenal disruption. Alternatively, defeat could come swiftly. And if they do lose it seems we may see the final stage.

Prior to that, a couple of points to note about this. Previously, at the start, of passion and hope, I wrote an article suggesting Bazball was a cult. Criticism followed, which demonstrated as it’s known a method to show that it’s not a closed group is should followers respond with anger denying scrutiny of its truths.

The developments in the last few days are equally notable. Criticism of the approach is now the trend. Social media is furious, critical analysts, images of frustrated travelling fans cheated out of three days of cricket, like a room full of investors demanding recourse.

Conversely, there is the broader context of the host’s complex more culturally hard-wired exasperation at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, out there saying, hey, that thing you love and have honed as part of your identity from others, it’s just a joke after all.

Here lies the truth. All movements are similar. The style was a trend since the sport itself is insular. Or rather, the team has long been exclusive, a group, a garden party, an insular community with two hundred years of tradition and mystery supporting it. Historically, this was where entry is limited. It’s the colonial game of the nation, the pioneering brand. And surprisingly, the nation has its own culture, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a monarchy still exists.

The team have been enclosed in this environment for years. Attempting to break free, to create a less brutal environment, they are mirroring their past, forming a new circle, a limited community, but now with 15 cool guys and a mentor encouraging individuality provided you conform.

Stay present. Confront risks. Despite efforts, you remain stuck.

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