🔗 Share this article

The Journey of a Cult tends to be characterized by clear stages.

1. The Grand Vision

A dominant personality or figureheads introduce an innovative concept offering a panacea for disconnected individuals.

So here we are. They’re getting ready to confront the system overseas. Pressure is mounting. Conflict emerges from within. A lone figure, exposed, shivering, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT displayed prominently as a statement, has come staggering into view and is removed under a blanket to a different team elsewhere.

Remember the start, when everything was fresh? The days of Bazball 1.0, of pure instinct.

2. Love-Bombing

Cult leaders offer a reboot, optimism ahead, camaraderie, success together who all believe in the method.

What did it represent back then? Players celebrating enjoying success. Body art. Muscles. Determination. Confident masculinity. Admittedly, England’s players often say Bazball doesn’t actually exist, amusingly because if it doesn’t exist, what did we see?

But we know its essence. It’s the batsman executing a stroke so depraved it defies description. It’s the adrenaline of the captain in ultimate mode, an expression conveying: pensive Nordic god, strong features, natural look, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to notice and notice he’s fielding on the ground shirtless and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the opener still being allowed to talk in press conferences, appearing as a happy little woodland creature in a waistcoat, expressing thoughts like we’re challenging norms. Certainly, the vibe, for quite a long time, was entirely positive.

3. Expansion Period

Building period. Togetherness strengthened via memorization of key phrases. These ideas may seem irrational as a loyalty check.

Is it just me? The backlash, the outrage, the disappointment after the first Ashes Test defeat appears excessive, overdone. The batting collapsed during the match, as they often do in Australia. They were savaged while bowling during a brief period as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by Travis Head playing aggressively but smarter, responsive to the situation, an athlete shining with brilliance.

Currently, we see the pile-on, the frustration, the perception of the team as a failure. The opinion suggests that losing isn’t enough, they must be humbled, to be cleansed, obliterated, overwhelmed by the vengeful purity of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the conventional tactics of the bowler, out there celebrating successes with a bashful smile like he’s just been given a rewarding prize. What will this do to them?

4. The Backlash Phase

Issues emerge because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hatred of the outside world.

The fact remains, approaching from the second Test, we have now reached an intriguing moment in the lifespan of this approach. England could quite easily win in the next Test with bold tactics. Alternatively, defeat could come swiftly. And if they do lose it seems we may see the death cult phase.

Before that happens, a couple of points to note on the topic. Previously, back in those heady early days, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article labeling it a movement. Criticism followed, which was helpful because everyone knows how to confirm lack of cult status is if supporters send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages denying scrutiny of its truths.

What has happened lately are equally notable. It seems that hating Bazball has turned into a movement. Social media is furious, angry English pundits, pictures of upset supporters abroad missing out on play, like a room full of timeshare owners seeking justice.

Conversely, we have the wider backdrop of Australia’s more nuanced more culturally hard-wired exasperation with the aggressive tourists, stating, your cherished traditions and have fostered and nurtured to distinguish yourselves from others, it’s just a joke in the end old boy.

This is the core issue. Everything is a cult. The approach was a phenomenon since the sport itself is insular. Or rather, English cricket has always been a cult, a group, an elite gathering, a restricted environment with a long history of tradition and mystery behind it. It has long been where influence is guarded. It’s the British pastime of England, the original sports washers. And guess what, Britain is itself a cult, a system of unknown levels, a place that literally still has a king.

England’s cricketers have been enclosed in this environment since childhood. Seeking change, to foster positivity, they are simply replicating their upbringing, forming a new circle, an exclusive group, however with a new team and a coach promoting authenticity provided you conform.

Live where your feet are. Run towards the danger. But no matter how fast and far you run, you’re always basically in the same place.

With this mind, now is the time to have some sympathy for the approach, to appreciate its good points, of which there are many. What is Bazball? Encouraging expression. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with