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The Journey of a Phenomenon is often marked by distinct phases.

1. The Big Idea

An inspiring figure or coaches propose an innovative concept pledging a panacea for disconnected individuals.

So here we are. Plans are in motion to storm the compound in Australia. Pressure is mounting. Conflict emerges from the out-houses. A lone figure, naked, anxious, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT written on his body as a symbol, has emerged from the field and is taken aside with discretion towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

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

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects promise a reboot, optimism ahead, support, redemption together united in belief in the method.

What was this thing initially? A team united feeling good. Ink. Strength. Jawlines. Elite male wellness energy. Of course, The squad will claim Bazball doesn’t actually exist, amusingly since it’s not recognized, what was that spectacle?

However, everyone understands the concept. It’s the player playing a shot so outrageous it’s beyond belief. It’s the thrill of Ben Stokes at his peak, a look that says: focused titan, beard made of wood, untamed style, truly contemporary you wouldn’t be surprised to glance over and find him positioned in the field stripped to the waist holding a fish.

It’s the batsman often seen to talk in press conferences, out there looking like a cheerful animal in a waistcoat, expressing thoughts like we’re challenging norms. Certainly, the energy, initially, was entirely positive.

3. A New Life

Growth phase. Cohesion maintained by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These principles are often illogical as a loyalty check.

Does anyone else feel? The backlash, the anger, the disappointment after the first Ashes Test defeat appears excessive, too much. The batting collapsed on the field, as is typical there. They were torn apart while bowling during a brief period when tactics failed, outplayed by the opponent imitating their style effectively, responsive to the situation, an athlete shining with aura.

And now we have this the criticism, the frustration, the sense of English Test cricket as a failure. The consensus is that England don’t just need to lose, they should be dismantled, to be purged, flame-throwered, destroyed by the vengeful purity of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of Scott Boland, seen enjoying his wickets modestly like he’s just been given a pleasant gift. What will this do to them?

4. External Conflict

Problems arise because of mistakes. But the cult cannot admit errors. It turns to hostility externally.

Ultimately, a few days before from the second Test, we’ve entered a critical juncture in the journey of this movement. They might succeed in Brisbane through aggressive play. Alternatively, they could lose just as quickly. Should they fail it appears we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Prior to that, there are two things to note on the topic. More than two years ago, at the start, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. People were very angry, which demonstrated because everyone knows how to confirm something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters react defensively objecting to the questioning of the philosophy.

The developments recently is just as interesting. Opposition to the style is now the trend. Social media is furious, angry English pundits, shots of angry middle-aged travelling fans cheated out of three days of cricket, reminiscent of investors demanding recourse.

Conversely, there is the broader context of the host’s complex more culturally hard-wired exasperation with the aggressive tourists, out there saying, the methods you value and have honed as part of your identity from others, it’s not serious after all.

And this is the real point. Everything is a cult. Bazball was a cult because cricket is a cult. In fact, English cricket has always been a cult, a circle, an elite gathering, a closed world with a long history of tradition and mystery behind it. This has always been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the British pastime of the British, the early image-makers. And surprisingly, Britain is itself a cult, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a royal family remains.

England’s cricketers have been isolated in this system from a young age. In trying to escape from it, to foster positivity, they are just repeating their upbringing, building another enclosure, an exclusive group, however with a new team and a mentor encouraging individuality provided you conform.

Stay present. Confront risks. But no matter how fast and far you run, you’re always basically in the same place.

With this mind, it might be appropriate to offer compassion for the movement, to recognize its positives, of which there are many. What does it represent? Encouraging expression. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with