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The Journey of a Phenomenon is often marked by distinct phases.

1. The Big Idea

An inspiring figure or coaches introduce an innovative concept offering a cure for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. Preparations are underway to storm the compound overseas. Tensions are rising. Conflict emerges from the sidelines. One individual, naked, anxious, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT displayed prominently in chicken blood, has emerged from the field and is being led away under a blanket to a different team elsewhere.

Remember the early days, when everything was fresh? The initial phase, of pure instinct.

2. Initial Adoration

Cult leaders offer a reboot, optimism ahead, camaraderie, redemption within a community united in belief in the philosophy.

What did it represent initially? Players celebrating enjoying success. Body art. Forearms. Jawlines. Elite male wellness energy. Of course, England’s players insist they don’t use the label, ironically since it’s not recognized, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear what it is. It’s the player playing a shot so outrageous it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of the captain in ultimate mode, a look that says: thoughtful warrior, strong features, hair woven from beaver hide, truly contemporary you almost imagine to notice and see him playing at mid-off bare-chested embracing nature.

It’s the batsman continuing to have permission speaking publicly, out there looking like a happy little woodland creature formally attired, uttering phrases such as we’re challenging norms. Certainly, the energy, for quite a long time, was only good energy.

3. The Growth Phase

Growth phase. Cohesion maintained via memorization of key phrases. These ideas can appear contradictory as a loyalty check.

Is it just me? The backlash, the anger, the disappointment post-defeat feels overblown, overdone. The batting collapsed during the match, as is typical there. They were dominated in the field in a short span as plans unraveled, outplayed by the opponent imitating their style effectively, responsive to the situation, an athlete shining with a kind of light around him.

And now we have this the criticism, the anger, the view of the sport as a disgrace. The feeling seems to be that England don’t just need to lose, they need to lose righteously, to be purged, destroyed, overwhelmed through sheer skill of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, out there celebrating his wickets humbly as if receiving a nice new fishing rod. What impact will this have?

4. Hate Bonding

Problems arise due to setbacks. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hostility externally.

The fact remains, approaching the next match, we have now reached a delicious point of tension in the story of this movement. England could quite easily win in the next Test in a blur of adrenal disruption. More likely, failure may follow. In case of defeat it seems we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Ahead of this, a couple of points to note about this. In the past, back in those heady early days, of light and heat, an piece was published suggesting Bazball was a cult. There was outrage, which proved the point because everyone knows the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters react defensively rejecting criticism of the philosophy.

Recent events recently is just as interesting. It seems that hating Bazball has turned into a movement. Online outrage is widespread, critical analysts, shots of angry middle-aged travelling fans cheated out of three days of cricket, like a room full of investors demanding recourse.

On the other hand, exists the larger scene of the host’s complex ingrained annoyance towards the unconventional visitors, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have fostered and nurtured as one way of separating yourself from others, it’s just a joke after all.

Here lies the truth. Everything is a cult. The approach was a phenomenon because cricket is a cult. In fact, the sport in England is closed, a group, a private event, an insular community with a long history of opaque and ritualistic cult history supporting it. It has long been where influence is guarded. It’s the British pastime of the British, the pioneering brand. And surprisingly, Britain is itself a cult, a structure of hidden ranks, a monarchy still exists.

England’s cricketers have been enclosed in this system since childhood. In trying to escape from it, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their own experience, building another enclosure, a limited community, but doing it this time with a modern squad and a leader encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Run towards the danger. But no matter how fast and far you run, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, it might be appropriate to offer compassion for Bazball, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. How to define it? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with