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The Journey of a Phenomenon can be marked by specific steps.

1. The Big Idea

A dominant personality or coaches present a revolutionary approach 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. Smoke is rising from the out-houses. A lone figure, naked, nervous, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT written on his body in chicken blood, has emerged from the field and is taken aside under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint at Derbyshire.

Do you recall the beginning, when everything was fresh? The days of Bazball 1.0, of Bazball without brains.

2. Initial Adoration

Movement founders guarantee a fresh beginning, a brighter tomorrow, support, redemption together who all believe in the philosophy.

How did it feel back then? Just men on a balcony basking in glory. Ink. Strength. Jawlines. Peak performance vibes. Admittedly, The team insist it’s not a real term, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

However, everyone understands what it is. It’s the player executing a stroke so depraved it’s beyond belief. It’s the excitement of the captain in ultimate mode, a look that says: thoughtful warrior, beard made of wood, natural look, so authentically Modern Savage you wouldn’t be surprised to look down and find him positioned on the ground bare-chested holding a fish.

It’s the opener still being allowed addressing the media, out there looking like a happy little woodland creature formally attired, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Indeed, the vibe, initially, was uplifting.

3. Expansion Period

Development stage. Cohesion maintained through repetition of mantras. These ideas are often illogical to prove commitment.

Does anyone else feel? The reaction, the anger, the disappointment post-defeat seems too strong, unwarranted. The batting collapsed in Perth, as is typical there. They were savaged while bowling for a couple of hours when tactics failed, outplayed by Travis Head imitating their style effectively, adjusting to the pitch, a performer excelling with aura.

Now there is the attacks, the anger, the sense of English Test cricket as a kind of abomination. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they must be humbled, to be scoured, obliterated, defeated by the vengeful purity of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the simple basics of the bowler, seen enjoying his wickets modestly as if receiving a pleasant gift. How will they respond?

4. Hate Bonding

Challenges surface due to setbacks. But the cult cannot admit errors. It starts to feed on hostility externally.

Ultimately, approaching from the second Test, we are at a critical juncture in the journey of this movement. England could quite easily win overseas in a blur of adrenal disruption. Alternatively, failure may follow. Should they fail it seems we may see the decline.

Prior to that, a couple of points to note on the topic. In the past, back in those heady early days, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article labeling it a movement. Criticism followed, which was helpful as it’s known a method to show that it’s not a closed group is should followers respond with anger objecting to the questioning of the philosophy.

Recent events recently is just as interesting. Criticism of the approach is now the trend. Online outrage is widespread, angry English pundits, images of frustrated supporters abroad cheated out of three days of cricket, reminiscent of people wanting fairness.

Conversely, we have the wider backdrop of the host’s complex more culturally hard-wired exasperation with the aggressive tourists, stating, hey, that thing you love and have honed to distinguish yourselves from the opposition, it’s not serious after all.

This is the core issue. It’s all cults. Bazball was a cult because cricket is a cult. Or rather, the team has long been exclusive, a group, a private event, a restricted environment with a long history of tradition and mystery behind it. It has long been where entry is limited. It’s the British pastime of the British, the pioneering brand. And guess what, Britain is itself a cult, a system of unknown levels, a monarchy still exists.

The team have been sealed up in this environment since childhood. Attempting to break free, to create a less brutal environment, they are mirroring their past, building another enclosure, an exclusive group, but now with 15 cool guys and a coach encouraging individuality provided you conform.

Focus on the moment. Embrace challenges. Despite efforts, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, it is perhaps the moment to offer compassion for the approach, to acknowledge its merits, of which there are many. How to define it? Encouraging expression. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with