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The Evolution of a Cult can be marked by specific steps.

1. The Grand Vision

An inspiring figure or coaches propose a new and transcendent idea offering a cure for alienated and vulnerable people.

Thus we find ourselves. Preparations are underway to challenge the establishment down in Brisbane. Pressure is mounting. Conflict emerges from the sidelines. A lone figure, naked, shivering, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT written on his body in chicken blood, has come staggering from the field and is removed with discretion for a temporary assignment elsewhere.

Do you ever miss the beginning, when optimism reigned? The days of Bazball 1.0, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects guarantee a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, love, redemption among a group who all believe in the big idea.

What did it represent back then? Just men on a balcony basking in glory. Tattoos. Forearms. Determination. Peak performance vibes. Admittedly, The squad insist they don’t use the label, ironically since it’s not recognized, what was that spectacle?

But we know the concept. It’s Harry Brook playing a shot so depraved it has to be pixelated. It’s the thrill of the captain at his peak, a look that says: focused titan, rugged appearance, hair woven from beaver hide, truly contemporary you half-expect to glance over and find him positioned on the ground stripped to the waist and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the batsman continuing to have permission addressing the media, out there looking like a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Indeed, the vibe, initially, was entirely positive.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Unity enforced via memorization of key phrases. These ideas can appear contradictory to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The backlash, the anger, the disappointment post-defeat feels overblown, too much. The batting collapsed during the match, as is typical there. They were dominated in the field in a short span as plans unraveled, carved around by the batsman playing aggressively but smarter, adjusting to the pitch, an athlete shining with brilliance.

Now there is the pile-on, the rage, 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 cleansed, obliterated, destroyed via traditional methods of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of Scott Boland, out there celebrating successes with a bashful smile as if receiving a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. Hate Bonding

Problems arise because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hatred of the outside world.

In truth, a few days before the upcoming game, we have now reached an intriguing moment in the lifespan of this thing. They might succeed in Brisbane through aggressive play. Alternatively, defeat could come swiftly. Should they fail it seems we could be witnessing the decline.

Ahead of this, there are two things to consider about this. Previously, back in those heady early days, of light and heat, a column appeared suggesting Bazball was a cult. There was outrage, which was helpful as it’s known the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is when its acolytes respond with anger objecting to the questioning of the beliefs.

The developments in the last few days is just as interesting. It seems that hating Bazball has now become the cult. We have a uniformly angry internet, angry English pundits, pictures of upset travelling fans disappointed by the short match, similar to timeshare owners seeking justice.

Meanwhile, we have the wider backdrop of the opponent’s mixed more culturally hard-wired exasperation at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, claiming, the methods you value and have fostered and nurtured as one way of separating yourself culturally from us, it’s not serious ultimately.

Here lies the truth. Everything is a cult. The approach was a phenomenon as the game has its own culture. In fact, the team has long been exclusive, a clique, a garden party, an insular community with a long history of opaque and ritualistic cult history behind it. It has long been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the colonial game of the nation, the original sports washers. And guess what, Britain is itself a cult, a structure of hidden ranks, a place that literally still has a king.

The players have been isolated in this environment from a young age. Seeking change, to build a better atmosphere, they are just repeating their past, building another enclosure, a closed circle, but now with a modern squad and a mentor encouraging individuality if you fit the mold.

Focus on the moment. Confront risks. But no matter how fast and far you run, you remain stuck.

With this mind, it might be appropriate to offer compassion for the movement, to recognize its positives, of which there are many. What is Bazball? Promoting liberation. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with