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

1. The Grand Vision

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

And so it goes. Preparations are underway to confront the system overseas. The gunships are circling. Conflict emerges from the sidelines. A lone figure, naked, anxious, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET smeared across his chest as a statement, has come staggering from the field and is being led away with discretion towards an inconclusive loan stint at Derbyshire.

Do you recall the beginning, when everything was fresh? The days of Bazball 1.0, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects promise a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, camaraderie, redemption within a community with shared faith in the big idea.

What did it represent initially? Just men on a balcony basking in glory. Ink. Forearms. Determination. Elite male wellness energy. Of course, The team insist it’s not a real term, ironically as it’s denied, what was that spectacle?

However, everyone understands the concept. It’s Harry Brook executing a stroke so outrageous it has to be pixelated. It’s the excitement of the captain in ultimate mode, an expression conveying: pensive Nordic god, strong features, untamed style, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to look down and find him positioned at mid-off shirtless embracing nature.

It’s the batsman continuing to have permission addressing the media, appearing as a cheerful animal in a waistcoat, expressing thoughts like we’re breaking down traditions. Certainly, the energy, initially, was entirely positive.

3. The Growth Phase

Growth phase. Unity enforced via memorization of mantras. These beliefs are often illogical as a loyalty check.

Is it just me? The criticism, the outrage, the feeling of letdown post-defeat feels overblown, overdone. The batting collapsed in Perth, as is typical there. They were torn apart defensively in a short span when tactics failed, manipulated by the batsman batting like England but better, adjusting to the pitch, a performer excelling with aura.

Now there is the criticism, 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 purged, flame-throwered, overwhelmed by the vengeful purity of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, marking achievements with a bashful smile similar to getting a nice new fishing rod. What will this do to them?

4. Hate Bonding

Challenges surface because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It starts to feed on hatred of the outside world.

The fact remains, a few days before the upcoming game, we have now reached a delicious point of tension in the story of this movement. Victory is possible overseas through aggressive play. Alternatively, failure may follow. In case of defeat it seems we may see the death cult phase.

Ahead of this, several aspects worth saying regarding this. In the past, during the initial excitement, of passion and hope, I wrote an article labeling it a movement. There was outrage, which proved the point because everyone knows how to confirm something definitely isn’t a cult is when its acolytes respond with anger denying scrutiny of the beliefs.

The developments in the last few days are equally notable. Opposition to the style is now the trend. We have a uniformly angry internet, critical analysts, pictures of upset followers overseas disappointed by the short match, similar to investors demanding recourse.

Conversely, we have the wider backdrop of Australia’s more nuanced deep-seated frustration with the aggressive tourists, stating, the methods you value and have honed as one way of separating yourself culturally from us, it’s just a joke ultimately.

And this is the real point. All movements are similar. The style was a trend because cricket is a cult. Or rather, English cricket has always been a cult, a clique, a garden party, an insular community with centuries of ceremonial past behind it. This has always been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the imperial sport of England, the early image-makers. And surprisingly, the country is a phenomenon, a system of unknown levels, a royal family remains.

England’s cricketers have been enclosed in this environment from a young age. In trying to escape from it, to build a better atmosphere, they are just repeating their own experience, creating another a bubble, a closed circle, but doing it this time with a new team and a coach promoting authenticity as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Embrace challenges. However much you change, you remain stuck.

With this mind, it might be appropriate to offer compassion for the approach, to acknowledge its merits, of which there are many. How to define it? Promoting liberation. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with