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

1. The Grand Vision

An inspiring figure or figureheads propose a new and transcendent idea that promises a solution for alienated and vulnerable people.

So here we are. Preparations are underway to storm the compound down in Brisbane. Tensions are rising. Signs of trouble appear from the out-houses. An isolated player, vulnerable, shivering, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET smeared across his chest as a statement, has come staggering into view and is taken aside in secrecy to a different team at Derbyshire.

Do you recall the start, when optimism reigned? The days of Bazball 1.0, of Bazball without brains.

2. Love-Bombing

Movement founders guarantee a reboot, optimism ahead, love, success among a group with shared faith in the big idea.

How did it feel back then? Players celebrating basking in glory. Body art. Muscles. Determination. Elite male wellness energy. Of course, England’s players often say they don’t use the label, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear what it is. It’s the batsman attempting a move so unconventional it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of the leader in ultimate mode, an expression conveying: focused titan, beard made of wood, untamed style, truly contemporary you half-expect to glance over and find him positioned on the ground bare-chested and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the opener often seen addressing the media, out there looking like a joyful figure in a waistcoat, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. Certainly, the vibe, initially, was only good energy.

3. A New Life

Development stage. Cohesion maintained by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These principles may seem irrational as a test of “true belief”.

Does anyone else feel? The backlash, the outrage, the feeling of letdown after the first Ashes Test defeat appears excessive, overdone. The batting collapsed in Perth, as they often do in Australia. They were dominated in the field during a brief period as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by the opponent imitating their style effectively, adjusting to the pitch, a performer excelling with brilliance.

Now there is the pile-on, the rage, the perception of the team as a failure. The consensus is that England don’t just need to lose, they must be humbled, to be cleansed, flame-throwered, destroyed via traditional methods of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of the veteran, marking achievements humbly similar to getting a pleasant gift. What will this do to them?

4. The Backlash Phase

Issues emerge due to setbacks. But the cult cannot admit errors. It turns to hatred of the outside world.

In truth, approaching from the second Test, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the lifespan of this approach. England could quite easily win in Brisbane in a blur of adrenal disruption. Alternatively, failure may follow. And if they do lose it seems we may see the final stage.

Prior to that, a couple of points to note about this. Previously, during the initial excitement, of passion and hope, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. People were very angry, which demonstrated 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 the beliefs.

What has happened in the last few days is just as interesting. It seems that hating Bazball is now the trend. Social media is furious, angry English pundits, shots of angry middle-aged supporters abroad disappointed by the short match, like a room full of people wanting fairness.

Conversely, there is the broader context of Australia’s more nuanced more culturally hard-wired exasperation towards the unconventional visitors, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have fostered and nurtured to distinguish yourselves from others, it’s just a joke ultimately.

Here lies the truth. It’s all cults. Bazball was a cult since the sport itself is insular. In fact, the sport in England is closed, a clique, a private event, a restricted environment with two hundred years of ceremonial past supporting it. This has always been where influence is guarded. It’s the colonial game of the British, the original sports washers. And surprisingly, the country is a phenomenon, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a royal family remains.

The players have been enclosed within this world since childhood. Seeking change, to foster positivity, they are mirroring their own experience, creating another a bubble, an exclusive group, but doing it this time with a modern squad and a coach who wants you to be yourself if you fit the mold.

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

With this mind, it might be appropriate to offer compassion for Bazball, to appreciate its good points, of which there are many. How to define it? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with