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The Journey of a Movement tends to be characterized by specific steps.

1. The Core Concept

A charismatic leader or leaders present an innovative concept offering a solution for alienated and vulnerable people.

So here we are. Preparations are underway to confront the system down in Brisbane. Tensions are rising. Smoke is rising from the out-houses. An isolated player, naked, nervous, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET smeared across his chest in chicken blood, has emerged from the field and is removed in secrecy towards an inconclusive loan stint at Derbyshire.

Remember the beginning, when everything was fresh? The initial phase, of uninhibited aggression.

2. Initial Adoration

Cult leaders promise a fresh beginning, hope for a future, camaraderie, redemption within a community united in belief in the method.

What did it represent at first? A team united feeling good. Ink. Muscles. Jawlines. Confident masculinity. Of course, The team insist Bazball doesn’t actually exist, ironically as it’s denied, what did we see?

However, everyone understands what it is. It’s the batsman playing a shot so outrageous it’s beyond belief. It’s the adrenaline of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, a demeanor suggesting: pensive Nordic god, strong features, hair woven from beaver hide, so authentically Modern Savage you half-expect to look down and notice he’s fielding on the ground stripped to the waist embracing nature.

It’s the batsman still being allowed speaking publicly, appearing as a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, expressing thoughts like we’re breaking down traditions. Certainly, the vibe, for a significant period, was entirely positive.

3. The Growth Phase

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

Is it just me? The reaction, the fury, the sense of betrayal post-defeat seems too strong, unwarranted. The performance was poor in Perth, as history shows. They were dominated in the field for a couple of hours as plans unraveled, carved around by Travis Head imitating their style effectively, adjusting to the pitch, a performer excelling with brilliance.

And now we have this the attacks, the rage, the sense of English Test cricket as a kind of abomination. The opinion suggests that defeat must be total, they should be dismantled, to be purged, flame-throwered, defeated by the vengeful purity of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, marking successes humbly as if receiving a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Issues emerge due to setbacks. But the cult cannot admit errors. It turns to anger towards critics.

In truth, approaching the next match, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the story of this movement. England could quite easily win in the next Test in a blur of adrenal disruption. Probably, failure may follow. In case of defeat it feels like we could be witnessing the death cult phase.

Ahead of this, several aspects to note about this. Previously, back in those heady early days, of passion and hope, I wrote an article suggesting Bazball was a cult. Criticism followed, which was helpful because everyone knows the best way of proving that it’s not a closed group is when its acolytes react defensively denying scrutiny of the beliefs.

The developments lately are equally notable. It seems that hating Bazball is now the trend. Social media is furious, angry English pundits, shots of angry middle-aged supporters abroad missing out on play, similar to timeshare owners seeking justice.

On the other hand, exists the larger scene of the opponent’s mixed deep-seated frustration towards the unconventional visitors, claiming, your cherished traditions and have fostered and nurtured as part of your identity culturally from us, it’s just a joke ultimately.

Here lies the truth. Everything is a cult. Bazball was a cult since the sport itself is insular. Or rather, the sport in England is closed, a group, an elite gathering, a closed world with two hundred years of opaque and ritualistic cult history supporting it. This has always been where entry is limited. It’s the colonial game of the British, the early image-makers. And guess what, the nation has its own culture, a system of unknown levels, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been sealed up in this environment from a young age. Seeking change, to build a better atmosphere, they are simply replicating their past, forming a new circle, a limited community, but now with a new team and a leader who wants you to be yourself as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Live where your feet are. Embrace challenges. But no matter how fast and far you run, you remain stuck.

With this mind, now is the time to have some sympathy for the approach, to acknowledge its merits, that are numerous. What is Bazball? Promoting liberation. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with