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The Journey of a Cult can be defined by specific steps.

1. The Core Concept

A charismatic leader or leaders introduce a new and transcendent idea offering a cure for disconnected individuals.

So here we are. Preparations are underway to confront the system in Australia. The gunships are circling. Signs of trouble appear from the sidelines. One individual, vulnerable, anxious, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT displayed prominently as a statement, has stumbled into view and is taken aside under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint at Derbyshire.

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

2. Love-Bombing

Movement founders promise a new start, hope for a future, support, salvation within a community with shared faith in the philosophy.

What did it represent at first? A team united basking in glory. Body art. Muscles. Determination. Elite male wellness energy. Admittedly, The squad often say Bazball doesn’t actually exist, amusingly because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear the concept. It’s the player playing a shot so unconventional it defies description. It’s the excitement of the leader at his peak, an expression conveying: thoughtful warrior, strong features, untamed style, truly contemporary you half-expect to notice and find him positioned at mid-off shirtless and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s Ben Duckett continuing to have permission addressing the media, appearing as a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, uttering phrases such as we’re challenging norms. Certainly, the atmosphere, for quite a long time, was entirely positive.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Unity enforced by rote learning of mantras. These principles can appear contradictory as a loyalty check.

Am I alone? The reaction, the anger, the disappointment following the initial loss appears excessive, too much. The performance was poor in Perth, as history shows. They were dominated while bowling during a brief period as plans unraveled, outplayed by the opponent batting like England but better, adaptive to conditions, a performer excelling with aura.

And now we have this the pile-on, the anger, the view of the sport as a disgrace. The feeling seems to be that defeat must be total, they need to lose righteously, to be purged, obliterated, overwhelmed by the vengeful purity of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the simple basics of Scott Boland, out there celebrating achievements humbly as if receiving a nice new fishing rod. What will this do to them?

4. External Conflict

Problems arise from failures in the plan. But the cult cannot admit errors. It turns to hostility externally.

The fact remains, half a week out the upcoming game, we have now reached a critical juncture in the journey of this thing. Victory is possible overseas with bold tactics. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. Should they fail it feels like we may see the final stage.

Before that happens, a couple of points to note about this. Previously, at the start, of passion and hope, a column appeared suggesting Bazball was a cult. People were very angry, which proved the point because everyone knows the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is when its acolytes respond with anger objecting to the questioning of its truths.

Recent events lately is just as interesting. Opposition to the style has now become the cult. We have a uniformly angry internet, disappointed commentators, pictures of upset travelling fans missing out on play, reminiscent of investors demanding recourse.

On the other hand, there is the broader context of the host’s complex deep-seated frustration towards the unconventional visitors, stating, your cherished traditions and have honed as one way of separating yourself from others, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. The style was a trend as the game has its own culture. Or rather, English cricket has always been a cult, a clique, a private event, a closed world with a long history of ceremonial past supporting it. This has always been where entry is limited. It’s the colonial game of England, the early image-makers. And guess what, the country is a phenomenon, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a royal family remains.

England’s cricketers have been enclosed in this system since childhood. Seeking change, to build a better atmosphere, they are just repeating their past, creating another a bubble, a limited community, but now with a modern squad and a leader encouraging individuality if you fit the mold.

Live where your feet are. Confront risks. However much you change, you remain stuck.

With this mind, it might be appropriate to show understanding for the approach, to acknowledge its merits, of which there are many. How to define it? Encouraging expression. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with