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

1. The Big Idea

A charismatic leader or figureheads introduce an innovative concept that promises a panacea for alienated and vulnerable people.

So here we are. Preparations are underway to challenge the establishment overseas. Pressure is mounting. Conflict emerges from the sidelines. A lone figure, exposed, anxious, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT smeared across his chest as a symbol, has stumbled through the lines and is being led away in secrecy towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

Do you ever miss the beginning, when optimism reigned? The initial phase, of pure instinct.

2. Initial Adoration

Cult leaders offer a fresh beginning, hope for a future, camaraderie, success within a community with shared faith in the big idea.

What did it represent initially? Just men on a balcony feeling good. Ink. Forearms. Focus. Confident masculinity. Oh sure, England’s players insist Bazball doesn’t actually exist, ironically because if it doesn’t exist, what was that spectacle?

But we know its essence. It’s the player attempting a move so outrageous it has to be pixelated. It’s the excitement of the leader at his peak, an expression conveying: pensive Nordic god, rugged appearance, untamed style, genuinely raw you almost imagine to notice and notice he’s fielding at mid-off bare-chested holding a fish.

It’s the batsman still being allowed addressing the media, appearing as a happy little woodland creature formally attired, uttering phrases such as we’re breaking down traditions. Indeed, the vibe, initially, was uplifting.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Unity enforced by rote learning of key phrases. These beliefs may seem irrational as a loyalty check.

Does anyone else feel? The criticism, the anger, the sense of betrayal post-defeat seems too strong, unwarranted. The batting collapsed in Perth, as they often do in Australia. They were savaged defensively in a short span as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by Travis Head playing aggressively but smarter, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with brilliance.

Currently, we see the pile-on, the frustration, the sense of English Test cricket as a failure. The opinion suggests that losing isn’t enough, they need to lose righteously, to be purged, destroyed, defeated via traditional methods of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, seen enjoying successes with a bashful smile as if receiving a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. External Conflict

Issues emerge from failures in the plan. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hostility externally.

Ultimately, half a week out the next match, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the story of this thing. They might succeed overseas in a blur of adrenal disruption. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it seems we may see the final stage.

Prior to that, there are two things worth saying on the topic. Previously, during the initial excitement, of optimism and energy, an piece was published labeling it a movement. There was outrage, which proved the point because everyone knows how to confirm something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters react defensively rejecting criticism of its truths.

The developments in the last few days is just as interesting. It seems that hating Bazball has now become the cult. Online outrage is widespread, disappointed commentators, images of frustrated followers overseas cheated out of three days of cricket, reminiscent of timeshare owners seeking justice.

Conversely, we have the wider backdrop of the opponent’s mixed ingrained annoyance at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, stating, the methods you value and have developed as part of your identity from the opposition, well, it’s all a bit of a gag after all.

Here lies the truth. Everything is a cult. Bazball was a cult because cricket is a cult. Or at least, the team has long been exclusive, a group, an elite gathering, an insular community with two hundred years of opaque and ritualistic cult history supporting it. This has always been where entry is limited. It’s the imperial sport of the nation, the pioneering brand. And notably, the country is a phenomenon, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been sealed up within this world from a young age. In trying to escape from it, to create a less brutal environment, they are just repeating their own experience, creating another a bubble, a limited community, however with a new team and a coach promoting authenticity provided you conform.

Focus on the moment. Confront risks. But no matter how fast and far you run, you remain stuck.

Considering this, it might be appropriate to show understanding for the movement, to recognize its positives, which are significant. How to define it? Encouraging expression. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with