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

1. The Core Concept

A charismatic leader or leaders introduce a new and transcendent idea that promises a panacea for disconnected individuals.

Thus we find ourselves. Plans are in motion to confront the system down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Conflict emerges from the out-houses. One individual, naked, anxious, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT smeared across his chest as a symbol, has stumbled from the field and is being led away under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint in county cricket.

Do you ever miss the early days, when everything was fresh? The days of Bazball 1.0, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Movement founders promise a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, love, redemption among a group who all believe in the big idea.

What was this thing initially? Players celebrating feeling good. Body art. Strength. Determination. Peak performance vibes. Oh sure, England’s players often say it’s not a real term, amusingly because if it doesn’t exist, what did we see?

However, everyone understands the concept. It’s Harry Brook executing a stroke so unconventional it has to be pixelated. It’s the excitement of the captain in his final form, a look that says: pensive Nordic god, strong features, untamed style, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to glance over and see him playing in the field bare-chested embracing nature.

It’s Ben Duckett often seen addressing the media, resembling a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. And yes, the energy, initially, was uplifting.

3. The Growth Phase

Growth phase. Togetherness strengthened through repetition of the cult’s slogans. These beliefs are often illogical to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The reaction, the anger, the disappointment after the first Ashes Test defeat seems too strong, overdone. The batting collapsed in Perth, as they often do in Australia. They were savaged defensively for a couple of hours as plans unraveled, manipulated by the opponent imitating their style effectively, adjusting to the pitch, a performer excelling with aura.

Currently, we see the pile-on, the rage, the perception of the team as a kind of abomination. The opinion suggests that defeat must be total, they need to lose righteously, to be purged, obliterated, destroyed via traditional methods of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of the veteran, marking his wickets humbly like he’s just been given a rewarding prize. What impact will this have?

4. Hate Bonding

Challenges surface from failures in the plan. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hostility externally.

In truth, a few days before the next match, we are at a delicious point of tension in the journey of this thing. England could quite easily win in Brisbane with bold tactics. Probably, failure may follow. In case of defeat it appears we could be witnessing the final stage.

Ahead of this, there are two things to note on the topic. In the past, at the start, of passion and hope, a column appeared labeling it a movement. There was outrage, which proved the point as it’s known how to confirm something definitely isn’t a cult is should followers send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages objecting to the questioning of its truths.

Recent events recently are fascinating. Criticism of the approach has turned into a movement. Social media is furious, disappointed commentators, pictures of upset followers overseas disappointed by the short match, like a room full of people wanting fairness.

Meanwhile, exists the larger scene of the host’s complex deep-seated frustration at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, out there saying, hey, that thing you love and have developed as part of your identity from the opposition, it’s just a joke after all.

Here lies the truth. It’s all cults. The style was a trend since the sport itself is insular. Or rather, the sport in England is closed, a clique, a garden party, an insular community with two hundred years of ceremonial past supporting it. Historically, this was a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the imperial sport of the British, the original sports washers. And surprisingly, the nation has its own culture, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

England’s cricketers have been enclosed in this system for years. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are just repeating their upbringing, creating another a bubble, a closed circle, but now with a new team and a leader promoting authenticity as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Live where your feet are. Confront risks. Despite efforts, you’re always basically in the same place.

Reflecting on this, it is perhaps the moment to offer compassion for the approach, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. How to define it? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with