🔗 Share this article

The Journey of a Cult tends to be defined by specific steps.

1. The Core Concept

An inspiring figure or leaders propose a new and transcendent idea offering a panacea for struggling players.

And so it goes. Plans are in motion to challenge the establishment overseas. Pressure is mounting. Signs of trouble appear from the out-houses. One individual, naked, shivering, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT smeared across his chest as a symbol, has stumbled from the field and is being led away with discretion towards an inconclusive loan stint in county cricket.

Remember the beginning, when everything was fresh? The days of Bazball 1.0, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Movement founders offer a fresh beginning, hope for a future, love, salvation together with shared faith in the philosophy.

How did it feel back then? A team united enjoying success. Ink. Strength. Jawlines. Elite male wellness energy. Oh sure, England’s players often say they don’t use the label, ironically because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear the concept. It’s the batsman attempting a move so depraved it has to be pixelated. It’s the excitement of the leader at his peak, an expression conveying: thoughtful warrior, rugged appearance, untamed style, genuinely raw you almost imagine to notice and find him positioned on the ground stripped to the waist embracing nature.

It’s the opener still being allowed speaking publicly, appearing as a cheerful animal smartly dressed, uttering phrases such as we’re challenging norms. And yes, the atmosphere, for quite a long time, was uplifting.

3. Expansion Period

Building period. Unity enforced by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These beliefs can appear contradictory to prove commitment.

Is it just me? The backlash, the anger, the feeling of letdown post-defeat appears excessive, overdone. The performance was poor during the match, as history shows. They were savaged in the field for a couple of hours as plans unraveled, outplayed by the batsman imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with brilliance.

Now there is the attacks, the rage, the sense of English Test cricket as a disgrace. The feeling seems to be that England don’t just need to lose, they should be dismantled, to be purged, obliterated, defeated via traditional methods of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the simple basics of the veteran, out there celebrating his wickets humbly similar to getting a pleasant gift. How will they respond?

4. Hate Bonding

Problems arise due to setbacks. Yet, mistakes are denied. It begins to thrive on hatred of the outside world.

The fact remains, approaching the next match, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the story of this thing. Victory is possible overseas in a blur of adrenal disruption. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it seems we could be witnessing the final stage.

Prior to that, there are two things to note regarding this. Previously, at the start, of light and heat, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. Criticism followed, which proved the point because everyone knows the best way of proving lack of cult status is should followers react defensively denying scrutiny of the beliefs.

The developments recently are equally notable. It seems that hating Bazball has now become the cult. We have a uniformly angry internet, angry English pundits, images of frustrated supporters abroad cheated out of three days of cricket, reminiscent of investors demanding recourse.

Conversely, there is the broader context of the opponent’s mixed ingrained annoyance at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, out there saying, your cherished traditions and have honed as one way of separating yourself culturally from us, it’s not serious after all.

Here lies the truth. It’s all cults. The approach was a phenomenon as the game has its own culture. Or at least, the sport in England is closed, a clique, an elite gathering, a restricted environment with a long history of opaque and ritualistic cult history defining it. This has always been where influence is guarded. It’s the imperial sport of the British, the original sports washers. And guess what, the country is a phenomenon, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

England’s cricketers have been enclosed in this environment from a young age. Attempting to break free, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their past, creating another a bubble, a limited community, however with a modern squad and a mentor encouraging individuality if you fit the mold.

Stay present. Confront risks. But no matter how fast and far you run, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, now is the time to show understanding for the approach, to acknowledge its merits, that are numerous. How to define it? Encouraging expression. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with