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The Evolution of a Cult can be characterized by clear stages.

1. The Core Concept

A charismatic leader or coaches introduce an innovative concept pledging a panacea for disconnected individuals.

And so it goes. Preparations are underway to confront the system in Australia. Tensions are rising. Conflict emerges from within. One individual, vulnerable, shivering, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT written on his body as a statement, has come staggering through the lines and is removed under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

Do you recall the beginning, when the world was still young? The era of early Bazball, of uninhibited aggression.

2. Love-Bombing

Team architects guarantee a reboot, hope for a future, support, salvation within a community with shared faith in the philosophy.

How did it feel at first? Players celebrating enjoying success. Body art. Forearms. Focus. Peak performance vibes. Admittedly, England’s players will claim Bazball doesn’t actually exist, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear its essence. It’s Harry Brook playing a shot so depraved it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of Ben Stokes at his peak, a demeanor suggesting: pensive Nordic god, strong features, untamed style, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to notice and find him positioned on the ground bare-chested embracing nature.

It’s the batsman continuing to have permission addressing the media, resembling a joyful figure smartly dressed, uttering phrases such as we are actively deconstructing the orange. Certainly, the energy, initially, was only good energy.

3. A New Life

Development stage. Cohesion maintained via memorization of key phrases. These principles are often illogical as a loyalty check.

Is it just me? The backlash, the fury, the disappointment after the first Ashes Test defeat feels overblown, too much. The batting collapsed during the match, as they often do in Australia. They were dominated defensively during a brief period as plans unraveled, carved around by the opponent playing aggressively but smarter, adaptive to conditions, a man playing with brilliance.

Now there is the criticism, the anger, the perception of the team as a failure. The consensus is that England don’t just need to lose, they must be humbled, to be cleansed, flame-throwered, destroyed by the vengeful purity of the pace attack, the simple basics of the bowler, out there celebrating his wickets humbly similar to getting a rewarding prize. What will this do to them?

4. The Backlash Phase

Problems arise from failures in the plan. However, faults are ignored. It starts to feed on hostility externally.

In truth, half a week out the upcoming game, we have now reached a critical juncture in the journey of this approach. England could quite easily win overseas in a blur of adrenal disruption. More likely, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it appears we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Ahead of this, several aspects to note on the topic. More than two years ago, back in those heady early days, of light and heat, a column appeared suggesting Bazball was a cult. People were very angry, which was helpful since it’s clear how to confirm something definitely isn’t a cult is when its acolytes react defensively rejecting criticism of the philosophy.

Recent events in the last few days are fascinating. It seems that hating Bazball has now become the cult. Social media is furious, disappointed commentators, pictures of upset followers overseas cheated out of three days of cricket, like a room full of investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, there is the broader context of Australia’s more nuanced ingrained annoyance towards the unconventional visitors, out there saying, hey, that thing you love and have fostered and nurtured as one way of separating yourself from others, it’s not serious after all.

This is the core issue. It’s all cults. The style was a trend as the game has its own culture. Or rather, the sport in England is closed, a circle, a garden party, an insular community with centuries of ceremonial past supporting it. Historically, this was where influence is guarded. It’s the colonial game of England, the pioneering brand. And guess what, Britain is itself a cult, a system of unknown levels, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been enclosed in this environment from a young age. In trying to escape from it, to build a better atmosphere, they are simply replicating their upbringing, building another enclosure, a closed circle, but now with 15 cool guys and a mentor encouraging individuality provided you conform.

Live where your feet are. Confront risks. Despite efforts, things stay similar.

Considering this, it is perhaps the moment to offer compassion for the movement, to appreciate its good points, which are significant. What is Bazball? Creating a sense of freedom. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with