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The Journey of a Cult is often defined by specific steps.

1. The Grand Vision

An inspiring figure or figureheads present an innovative concept that promises a cure for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. Preparations are underway to confront the system overseas. Pressure is mounting. Conflict emerges from the sidelines. An isolated player, exposed, nervous, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET written on his body in chicken blood, has stumbled into view and is taken aside with discretion towards an inconclusive loan stint in county cricket.

Do you recall the early days, when the world was still young? The initial phase, of Bazball without brains.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects offer a reboot, hope for a future, love, salvation among a group with shared faith in the philosophy.

What did it represent initially? A team united enjoying success. Tattoos. Forearms. Jawlines. Confident masculinity. Oh sure, The team will claim it’s not a real term, ironically because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

But we know the concept. It’s the batsman attempting a move so depraved it defies description. It’s the thrill of the captain in his final form, a look that says: pensive Nordic god, beard made of wood, natural look, truly contemporary you wouldn’t be surprised to look down and find him positioned on the ground shirtless holding a fish.

It’s Ben Duckett often seen to talk in press conferences, out there looking like a happy little woodland creature in a waistcoat, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Indeed, the energy, initially, was entirely positive.

3. A New Life

Development stage. Cohesion maintained by rote learning of mantras. These beliefs may seem irrational as a loyalty check.

Am I alone? The backlash, the outrage, the disappointment post-defeat appears excessive, overdone. England batted badly in Perth, as is typical there. They were torn apart while bowling in a short span as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by Travis Head imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with a kind of light around him.

And now we have this the pile-on, the rage, the perception of the team as a failure. The feeling seems to be that England don’t just need to lose, they should be dismantled, to be scoured, destroyed, overwhelmed via traditional methods of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, out there celebrating his wickets modestly similar to getting a nice new fishing rod. How will they respond?

4. External Conflict

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

In truth, half a week out from the second Test, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the lifespan of this thing. They might succeed in Brisbane with bold tactics. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it seems we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Prior to that, several aspects worth saying on the topic. In the past, at the start, of passion and hope, I wrote an article suggesting Bazball was a cult. There was outrage, which demonstrated as it’s known a method to show lack of cult status is should followers send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages objecting to the questioning of the beliefs.

The developments in the last few days are fascinating. Opposition to the style has turned into a movement. We have a uniformly angry internet, critical analysts, shots of angry middle-aged followers overseas missing out on play, similar to timeshare owners seeking justice.

Meanwhile, exists the larger scene of Australia’s more nuanced deep-seated frustration at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have developed to distinguish yourselves from the opposition, it’s just a joke after all.

Here lies the truth. It’s all cults. Bazball was a cult since the sport itself is insular. In fact, English cricket has always been a cult, a circle, an elite gathering, a restricted environment with two hundred years of opaque and ritualistic cult history supporting it. This has always been where influence is guarded. It’s the imperial sport of England, the pioneering brand. And surprisingly, Britain is itself a cult, a system of unknown levels, a monarchy still exists.

The team have been enclosed in this environment from a young age. Attempting to break free, to foster positivity, they are mirroring their past, creating another a bubble, a limited community, however with a new team and a coach encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Embrace challenges. However much you change, you’re always basically in the same place.

With this mind, it might be appropriate to show understanding for the movement, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. How to define it? Promoting liberation. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with