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

1. The Grand Vision

A dominant personality or coaches present an innovative concept pledging a cure for alienated and vulnerable people.

So here we are. They’re getting ready to challenge the establishment in Australia. Pressure is mounting. Smoke is rising from the out-houses. One individual, naked, nervous, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT written on his body as a symbol, has emerged from the field and is removed in secrecy for a temporary assignment in county cricket.

Do you ever miss the start, when everything was fresh? The era of early Bazball, of Bazball without brains.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Movement founders guarantee a reboot, hope for a future, love, success within a community with shared faith in the philosophy.

How did it feel initially? A team united feeling good. Body art. Forearms. Determination. Confident masculinity. Admittedly, England’s players often say it’s not a real term, which is funny since it’s not recognized, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear what it is. It’s the batsman executing a stroke so depraved it defies description. It’s the thrill of Ben Stokes in his final form, an expression conveying: pensive Nordic god, beard made of wood, hair woven from beaver hide, truly contemporary you half-expect to notice and find him positioned in the field shirtless embracing nature.

It’s the opener continuing to have permission addressing the media, resembling a cheerful animal in a waistcoat, expressing thoughts like we’re challenging norms. Indeed, the vibe, initially, was only good energy.

3. Expansion Period

Growth phase. Togetherness strengthened through repetition of the cult’s slogans. These ideas are often illogical as a test of “true belief”.

Is it just me? The criticism, the anger, the feeling of letdown post-defeat feels overblown, unwarranted. The batting collapsed in Perth, as history shows. They were torn apart defensively in a short span when tactics failed, manipulated by Travis Head batting like England but better, adjusting to the pitch, an athlete shining with brilliance.

Currently, we see the criticism, the anger, the perception of the team as a kind of abomination. The consensus is that defeat must be total, they should be dismantled, to be purged, obliterated, defeated by the vengeful purity of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of the veteran, marking achievements humbly as if receiving a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Challenges surface because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It begins to thrive on hostility externally.

In truth, a few days before the next match, we have now reached a critical juncture in the story of this thing. Victory is possible in the next Test with bold tactics. Probably, defeat could come swiftly. In case of defeat it appears we could be witnessing the final stage.

Ahead of this, several aspects worth saying on the topic. In the past, back in those heady early days, of optimism and energy, a column appeared labeling it a movement. Criticism followed, which was helpful since it’s clear how to confirm that it’s not a closed group is should followers react defensively denying scrutiny of the beliefs.

The developments recently are fascinating. Opposition to the style is now the trend. We have a uniformly angry internet, disappointed commentators, pictures of upset travelling fans cheated out of three days of cricket, similar to people wanting fairness.

Conversely, we have the wider backdrop of the opponent’s mixed ingrained annoyance towards the unconventional visitors, stating, your cherished traditions and have fostered and nurtured to distinguish yourselves from the opposition, it’s not serious in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. Bazball was a cult since the sport itself is insular. Or rather, English cricket has always been a cult, a clique, a garden party, a restricted environment with centuries of opaque and ritualistic cult history defining it. It has long been where influence is guarded. It’s the colonial game of the nation, the early image-makers. And notably, Britain is itself a cult, a system of unknown levels, a monarchy still exists.

The team have been isolated in this system since childhood. Seeking change, to build a better atmosphere, they are mirroring their own experience, building another enclosure, an exclusive group, but now with 15 cool guys and a coach encouraging individuality if you fit the mold.

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

With this mind, now is the time to offer compassion for the movement, to acknowledge its merits, of which there are many. What is Bazball? Encouraging expression. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with