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The Journey of a Cult can be characterized by clear stages.

1. The Grand Vision

An inspiring figure or coaches present a revolutionary approach that promises a cure for struggling players.

So here we are. They’re getting ready to confront the system down in Brisbane. Pressure is mounting. Smoke is rising from the out-houses. An isolated player, vulnerable, anxious, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT displayed prominently in chicken blood, has come staggering from the field and is being led away in secrecy to a different team in county cricket.

Do you ever miss the beginning, when everything was fresh? The era of early Bazball, of pure instinct.

2. Love-Bombing

Movement founders promise a new start, hope for a future, love, salvation together united in belief in the method.

What was this thing back then? Just men on a balcony basking in glory. Ink. Strength. Jawlines. Peak performance vibes. Admittedly, England’s players will claim Bazball doesn’t actually exist, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear what it is. It’s the batsman executing a stroke so depraved it has to be pixelated. It’s the excitement of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, a demeanor suggesting: pensive Nordic god, rugged appearance, natural look, genuinely raw you almost imagine to look down and see him playing at mid-off shirtless and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the batsman continuing to have permission to talk in press conferences, appearing as a cheerful animal smartly dressed, expressing thoughts like we’re challenging norms. And yes, the energy, for quite a long time, was only good energy.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Unity enforced through repetition of key phrases. These beliefs are often illogical as a loyalty check.

Does anyone else feel? The criticism, the anger, the feeling of letdown post-defeat feels overblown, too much. The performance was poor during the match, as history shows. They were dominated while bowling during a brief period when tactics failed, outplayed by the opponent batting like England but better, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with aura.

And now we have this the pile-on, the rage, the sense of English Test cricket as a disgrace. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they need to lose righteously, to be scoured, flame-throwered, destroyed through sheer skill of the bowler’s action, the simple basics of the veteran, out there celebrating his wickets humbly as if receiving a nice new fishing rod. How will they respond?

4. External Conflict

Problems arise because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It starts to feed on anger towards critics.

Ultimately, half a week out the upcoming game, we have now reached a delicious point of tension in the lifespan of this movement. They might succeed in the next Test with bold tactics. Probably, defeat could come swiftly. Should they fail it seems we may see the final stage.

Before that happens, several aspects to note regarding this. More than two years ago, during the initial excitement, of light and heat, an piece was published calling it a phenomenon. There was outrage, which demonstrated as it’s known the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters react defensively objecting to the questioning of the beliefs.

What has happened lately are equally notable. Opposition to the style has turned into a movement. We have a uniformly angry internet, critical analysts, pictures of upset travelling fans disappointed by the short match, reminiscent of timeshare owners seeking justice.

Conversely, there is the broader context of the opponent’s mixed ingrained annoyance at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, out there saying, hey, that thing you love and have honed to distinguish yourselves from others, it’s not serious in the end old boy.

This is the core issue. Everything is a cult. Bazball was a cult because cricket is a cult. Or rather, English cricket has always been a cult, a clique, a garden party, a closed world with centuries of opaque and ritualistic cult history defining it. Historically, this was where entry is limited. It’s the colonial game of England, the original sports washers. And guess what, the country is a phenomenon, a structure of hidden ranks, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been isolated in this system from a young age. In trying to escape from it, to build a better atmosphere, they are just repeating their upbringing, building another enclosure, a limited community, but now with 15 cool guys and a coach encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Confront risks. Despite efforts, things stay similar.

With this mind, it is perhaps the moment to have some sympathy for Bazball, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. What is Bazball? Encouraging expression. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with