🔗 Share this article

The Journey of a Phenomenon tends to be marked by specific steps.

1. The Core Concept

A dominant personality or figureheads propose a revolutionary approach offering a solution for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. Plans are in motion to storm the compound in Australia. Pressure is mounting. Signs of trouble appear from within. An isolated player, naked, nervous, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT displayed prominently as a symbol, has emerged into view and is being led away in secrecy for a temporary assignment elsewhere.

Do you recall the beginning, when the world was still young? The initial phase, of pure instinct.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders guarantee a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, support, success together who all believe in the philosophy.

What was this thing at first? Players celebrating basking in glory. Ink. Forearms. Jawlines. Peak performance vibes. Oh sure, England’s players will claim it’s not a real term, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

But we know the concept. It’s Harry Brook executing a stroke so depraved it’s beyond belief. It’s the excitement of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, an expression conveying: thoughtful warrior, beard made of wood, hair woven from beaver hide, truly contemporary you half-expect to look down and notice he’s fielding in the field stripped to the waist holding a fish.

It’s Ben Duckett often seen to talk in press conferences, resembling a joyful figure smartly dressed, expressing thoughts like we are actively deconstructing the orange. And yes, the vibe, for a significant period, was entirely positive.

3. A New Life

Building period. Unity enforced through repetition of mantras. These beliefs may seem irrational as a loyalty check.

Is it just me? The backlash, the outrage, the feeling of letdown following the initial loss feels overblown, unwarranted. The batting collapsed on the field, as history shows. They were savaged in the field during a brief period when tactics failed, outplayed by Travis Head batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, an athlete shining with aura.

Now there is the attacks, the anger, the view of the sport as a kind of abomination. The feeling seems to be that England don’t just need to lose, they must be humbled, to be scoured, flame-throwered, defeated through sheer skill of the pace attack, the simple basics of the bowler, marking his wickets modestly like he’s just been given a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. Hate Bonding

Problems arise because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hostility externally.

Ultimately, half a week out from the second Test, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the journey of this thing. They might succeed overseas in a blur of adrenal disruption. More likely, defeat could come swiftly. Should they fail it feels like we really might be entering the decline.

Prior to that, there are two things to note about this. More than two years ago, at the start, of passion and hope, I wrote an article suggesting Bazball was a cult. There was outrage, which proved the point as it’s known how to confirm lack of cult status is if supporters send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages objecting to the questioning of its truths.

Recent events lately are fascinating. It seems that hating Bazball is now the trend. We have a uniformly angry internet, angry English pundits, images of frustrated followers overseas missing out on play, like a room full of investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, exists the larger scene of the host’s complex more culturally hard-wired exasperation towards the unconventional visitors, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have fostered and nurtured to distinguish yourselves culturally from us, well, it’s all a bit of a gag after all.

And this is the real point. All movements are similar. Bazball was a cult as the game has its own culture. In fact, English cricket has always been a cult, a clique, a garden party, a closed world with centuries of ceremonial past supporting it. It has long been where entry is limited. It’s the colonial game of England, the original sports washers. And guess what, the nation has its own culture, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a monarchy still exists.

England’s cricketers have been isolated in this environment since childhood. In trying to escape from it, to foster positivity, they are just repeating their upbringing, building another enclosure, an exclusive group, but now with a new team and a coach encouraging individuality if you fit the mold.

Focus on the moment. Embrace challenges. But no matter how fast and far you run, you’re always basically in the same place.

Considering this, it is perhaps the moment to have some sympathy for Bazball, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. What does it represent? Creating a sense of freedom. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with