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The Evolution of a Phenomenon is often marked by specific steps.

1. The Core Concept

An inspiring figure or coaches present an innovative concept pledging a solution for struggling players.

So here we are. Preparations are underway to challenge the establishment down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Conflict emerges from the out-houses. An isolated player, exposed, anxious, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET displayed prominently in chicken blood, has come staggering into view and is removed under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint in county cricket.

Remember the start, when the world was still young? The days of Bazball 1.0, of pure instinct.

2. Love-Bombing

Cult leaders guarantee a new start, a brighter tomorrow, camaraderie, salvation within a community united in belief in the philosophy.

What did it represent initially? Players celebrating basking in glory. Ink. Muscles. Jawlines. Confident masculinity. Of course, The squad will claim Bazball doesn’t actually exist, which is funny as it’s denied, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear the concept. It’s Harry Brook executing a stroke so depraved it’s beyond belief. It’s the thrill of the leader in ultimate mode, an expression conveying: thoughtful warrior, beard made of wood, hair woven from beaver hide, so authentically Modern Savage you almost imagine to glance over and see him playing at mid-off bare-chested and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the batsman continuing to have permission to talk in press conferences, resembling a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, uttering phrases such as we’re challenging norms. And yes, the vibe, initially, was uplifting.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Unity enforced via memorization of mantras. These ideas are often illogical as a loyalty check.

Am I alone? The criticism, the anger, the disappointment after the first Ashes Test defeat seems too strong, too much. England batted badly in Perth, as history shows. They were savaged defensively during a brief period as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, manipulated by the opponent batting like England but better, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with aura.

Now there is the attacks, the anger, the sense of English Test cricket as a failure. The consensus is that defeat must be total, they must be humbled, to be purged, obliterated, overwhelmed via traditional methods of the bowler’s action, the conventional tactics of the veteran, marking successes humbly similar to getting a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. Hate Bonding

Issues emerge from failures in the plan. But the cult cannot admit errors. It begins to thrive on hostility externally.

The fact remains, a few days before the upcoming game, we’ve entered a critical juncture in the story of this movement. England could quite easily win in the next Test in a blur of adrenal disruption. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it appears we could be witnessing the death cult phase.

Ahead of this, a couple of points to consider about this. Previously, at the start, of light and heat, an piece was published calling it a phenomenon. There was outrage, which proved the point because everyone knows the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters react defensively denying scrutiny of the beliefs.

Recent events in the last few days are equally notable. It seems that hating Bazball has now become the cult. We have a uniformly angry internet, angry English pundits, images of frustrated followers overseas missing out on play, like a room full of timeshare owners seeking justice.

On the other hand, there is the broader context of the host’s complex ingrained annoyance with the aggressive tourists, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have honed as part of your identity culturally from us, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. The style was a trend as the game has its own culture. Or at least, English cricket has always been a cult, a group, a private event, an insular community with two hundred years of ceremonial past supporting it. Historically, this was where influence is guarded. It’s the colonial game of the British, the pioneering brand. And notably, the country is a phenomenon, a structure of hidden ranks, a royal family remains.

The players have been sealed up within this world for years. In trying to escape from it, to foster positivity, they are just repeating their upbringing, creating another a bubble, a limited community, but now with a new team and a mentor who wants you to be yourself if you fit the mold.

Stay present. Embrace challenges. However much you change, you’re always basically in the same place.

Reflecting on this, now is the time to offer compassion for the approach, to recognize its positives, of which there are many. How to define it? Encouraging expression. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with