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

1. The Big Idea

An inspiring figure or coaches present a revolutionary approach pledging a solution for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. Preparations are underway to storm the compound overseas. Pressure is mounting. Signs of trouble appear from the out-houses. One individual, exposed, shivering, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT smeared across his chest in chicken blood, has stumbled from the field and is taken aside under a blanket for a temporary assignment in county cricket.

Do you recall the early days, when optimism reigned? The days of Bazball 1.0, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects offer a reboot, optimism ahead, love, success within a community who all believe in the method.

How did it feel at first? Just men on a balcony enjoying success. Tattoos. Muscles. Focus. Elite male wellness energy. Oh sure, The squad often say they don’t use the label, amusingly as it’s denied, what was that spectacle?

However, everyone understands what it is. It’s the player attempting a move so depraved it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of the captain in ultimate mode, a look that says: pensive Nordic god, rugged appearance, hair woven from beaver hide, so authentically Modern Savage you wouldn’t be surprised to notice and find him positioned in the field stripped to the waist and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the batsman often seen addressing the media, resembling a joyful figure formally attired, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. Certainly, the energy, initially, was only good energy.

3. A New Life

Growth phase. Unity enforced by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These principles can appear contradictory as a loyalty check.

Am I alone? The backlash, the fury, the disappointment post-defeat seems too strong, too much. England batted badly in Perth, as they often do in Australia. They were dominated while bowling during a brief period as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by the batsman imitating their style effectively, responsive to the situation, a performer excelling with a kind of light around him.

Currently, we see the criticism, the rage, the perception of the team as a kind of abomination. The feeling seems to be that defeat must be total, they need to lose righteously, to be scoured, obliterated, defeated by the vengeful purity of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the simple basics of the bowler, marking successes humbly like he’s just been given a rewarding prize. How will they respond?

4. Hate Bonding

Challenges surface because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It begins to thrive on hatred of the outside world.

Ultimately, half a week out the next match, we have now reached an intriguing moment in the story of this approach. Victory is possible in the next Test in a blur of adrenal disruption. More likely, failure may follow. In case of defeat it seems we could be witnessing the decline.

Before that happens, there are two things worth saying about this. Previously, during the initial excitement, of optimism and energy, a column appeared labeling it a movement. Criticism followed, which was helpful because everyone knows how to confirm something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters respond with anger rejecting criticism of the beliefs.

Recent events recently are equally notable. Criticism of the approach is now the trend. Online outrage is widespread, critical analysts, pictures of upset travelling fans missing out on play, reminiscent of timeshare owners seeking justice.

On the other hand, there is the broader context of the host’s complex more culturally hard-wired exasperation at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have developed as part of your identity from the opposition, well, it’s all a bit of a gag ultimately.

And this is the real point. Everything is a cult. Bazball was a cult as the game has its own culture. Or at least, the sport in England is closed, a circle, a garden party, a closed world with a long history of tradition and mystery behind it. It has long been where influence is guarded. It’s the colonial game of the British, the early image-makers. And notably, the nation has its own culture, a system of unknown levels, a royal family remains.

England’s cricketers have been enclosed in this environment since childhood. Attempting to break free, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their upbringing, building another enclosure, a limited community, but now with a modern squad and a leader who wants you to be yourself as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Run towards the danger. However much you change, you’re always basically in the same place.

Reflecting on this, it might be appropriate to offer compassion for the approach, to appreciate its good points, which are significant. What is Bazball? Creating a sense of freedom. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with