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The Journey of a Cult is often characterized by clear stages.

1. The Big Idea

An inspiring figure or leaders present a revolutionary approach offering a panacea for disconnected individuals.

So here we are. Preparations are underway to confront the system in Australia. Pressure is mounting. Signs of trouble appear from the sidelines. A lone figure, naked, shivering, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET displayed prominently as a symbol, has come staggering into view and is being led away with discretion towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

Do you ever miss the start, when everything was fresh? The era of early Bazball, of Bazball without brains.

2. Love-Bombing

Movement founders offer a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, love, salvation together with shared faith in the method.

How did it feel back then? A team united feeling good. Ink. Strength. Jawlines. Elite male wellness energy. Of course, The team insist they don’t use the label, which is funny since it’s not recognized, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear the concept. It’s the batsman attempting a move so depraved it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of the leader in ultimate mode, an expression conveying: pensive Nordic god, strong features, untamed style, genuinely raw you almost imagine to notice and see him playing on the ground shirtless embracing nature.

It’s Ben Duckett still being allowed to talk in press conferences, resembling a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, uttering phrases such as we are actively deconstructing the orange. And yes, the atmosphere, for a significant period, was entirely positive.

3. The Growth Phase

Growth phase. Unity enforced by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These principles may seem irrational to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The reaction, the anger, the disappointment post-defeat seems too strong, unwarranted. The batting collapsed during the match, as they often do in Australia. They were dominated in the field during a brief period when tactics failed, carved around by the batsman imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with a kind of light around him.

And now we have this the attacks, the anger, the view of the sport as a failure. The consensus is that England don’t just need to lose, they must be humbled, to be purged, flame-throwered, overwhelmed via traditional methods of the pace attack, the simple basics of the veteran, out there celebrating achievements humbly as if receiving a rewarding prize. What will this do to them?

4. Hate Bonding

Issues emerge due to setbacks. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hostility externally.

In truth, approaching the upcoming game, we have now reached a delicious point of tension in the story of this thing. England could quite easily win in the next Test in a blur of adrenal disruption. Alternatively, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it appears we could be witnessing the final stage.

Before that happens, there are two things to note about this. In the past, back in those heady early days, of light and heat, I wrote an article labeling it a movement. There was outrage, which was helpful as it’s known a method to show lack of cult status is if supporters respond with anger rejecting criticism of the beliefs.

Recent events in the last few days are equally notable. Criticism of the approach has now become the cult. Online outrage is widespread, angry English pundits, shots of angry middle-aged supporters abroad missing out on play, similar to timeshare owners seeking justice.

Conversely, there is the broader context of the opponent’s mixed more culturally hard-wired exasperation at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have fostered and nurtured to distinguish yourselves from the opposition, it’s just a joke after all.

And this is the real point. Everything is a cult. The style was a trend because cricket is a cult. In fact, the sport in England is closed, a clique, an elite gathering, a closed world with centuries of tradition and mystery supporting it. It has long been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the colonial game of the nation, the early image-makers. And guess what, the nation has its own culture, a structure of hidden ranks, a monarchy still exists.

The team have been sealed up within this world since childhood. In trying to escape from it, to foster positivity, they are just repeating their own experience, building another enclosure, an exclusive group, but now with a modern squad and a leader who wants you to be yourself as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

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

Reflecting on this, now is the time to show understanding for the movement, to appreciate its good points, of which there are many. What is Bazball? Promoting liberation. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with