🔗 Share this article

The Journey of a Phenomenon is often marked by clear stages.

1. The Grand Vision

A dominant personality or figureheads propose a new and transcendent idea pledging a solution for disconnected individuals.

So here we are. Plans are in motion to storm the compound in Australia. Pressure is mounting. Conflict emerges from the out-houses. An isolated player, naked, shivering, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT written on his body in chicken blood, has stumbled from the field and is removed in secrecy towards an inconclusive loan stint in county cricket.

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

2. Love-Bombing

Team architects guarantee a new start, hope for a future, love, redemption among a group who all believe in the big idea.

How did it feel back then? A team united basking in glory. Body art. Muscles. Determination. Confident masculinity. Admittedly, England’s players insist they don’t use the label, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear its essence. It’s the player playing a shot so outrageous it’s beyond belief. It’s the excitement of the captain in ultimate mode, an expression conveying: focused titan, rugged appearance, natural look, genuinely raw you half-expect to notice and see him playing at mid-off stripped to the waist embracing nature.

It’s the batsman still being allowed speaking publicly, resembling a joyful figure formally attired, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. Certainly, the energy, for a significant period, was only good energy.

3. Expansion Period

Growth phase. Togetherness strengthened through repetition of the cult’s slogans. These beliefs are often illogical as a test of “true belief”.

Is it just me? The criticism, the outrage, the sense of betrayal following the initial loss feels overblown, unwarranted. The batting collapsed in Perth, as is typical there. They were savaged in the field in a short span when tactics failed, outplayed by the batsman batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, a performer excelling with brilliance.

And now we have this the pile-on, the frustration, the view of the sport as a kind of abomination. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they must be humbled, to be cleansed, obliterated, destroyed through sheer skill of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, seen enjoying his wickets with a bashful smile similar to getting a rewarding prize. What impact will this have?

4. External Conflict

Problems arise due to setbacks. However, faults are ignored. It begins to thrive on hatred of the outside world.

In truth, approaching the upcoming game, we’ve entered a critical juncture in the lifespan of this thing. England could quite easily win in the next Test with bold tactics. Alternatively, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it feels like we really might be entering the final stage.

Before that happens, there are two things to note about this. In the past, at the start, of passion and hope, an piece was published labeling it a movement. People were very angry, which was helpful since it’s clear the best way of proving lack of cult status is when its acolytes respond with anger denying scrutiny of its truths.

The developments recently is just as interesting. Opposition to the style is now the trend. We have a uniformly angry internet, critical analysts, shots of angry middle-aged followers overseas missing out on play, similar to timeshare owners seeking justice.

Conversely, we have the wider backdrop of the opponent’s mixed deep-seated frustration towards the unconventional visitors, stating, the methods you value and have fostered and nurtured as one way of separating yourself from the opposition, it’s not serious ultimately.

And this is the real point. All movements are similar. Bazball was a cult because cricket is a cult. In fact, the sport in England is closed, a circle, a private event, a restricted environment with centuries of ceremonial past behind it. It has long been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the imperial sport of the nation, the original sports washers. And notably, Britain is itself a cult, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been sealed up in this environment from a young age. Seeking change, to build a better atmosphere, they are mirroring their upbringing, creating another a bubble, a closed circle, but now with a new team and a leader encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Live where your feet are. Confront risks. However much you change, things stay similar.

Considering this, it might be appropriate to offer compassion for the movement, to recognize its positives, that are numerous. What does it represent? Encouraging expression. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with