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The Evolution of a Cult is often defined by distinct phases.

1. The Grand Vision

A dominant personality or coaches introduce a revolutionary approach offering a solution for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. Plans are in motion to storm the compound overseas. The gunships are circling. Conflict emerges from within. An isolated player, naked, anxious, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT displayed prominently in chicken blood, has emerged into view and is removed under a blanket for a temporary assignment elsewhere.

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

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders promise a fresh beginning, hope for a future, love, success within a community with shared faith in the method.

How did it feel at first? A team united feeling good. Tattoos. Forearms. Jawlines. Elite male wellness energy. Oh sure, The team often say Bazball doesn’t actually exist, ironically since it’s not recognized, what exactly did I just watch?

But we know the concept. It’s Harry Brook executing a stroke so unconventional it has to be pixelated. It’s the thrill of the captain at his peak, a demeanor suggesting: focused titan, beard made of wood, untamed style, so authentically Modern Savage you half-expect to notice and find him positioned on the ground shirtless holding a fish.

It’s Ben Duckett still being allowed addressing the media, resembling a joyful figure in a waistcoat, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Certainly, the energy, initially, was entirely positive.

3. The Growth Phase

Growth phase. Cohesion maintained by rote learning of key phrases. These beliefs can appear contradictory as a loyalty check.

Am I alone? The criticism, the fury, the feeling of letdown following the initial loss seems too strong, too much. The performance was poor in Perth, as is typical there. They were dominated while bowling during a brief period when tactics failed, outplayed by Travis Head imitating their style effectively, responsive to the situation, a man playing with brilliance.

And now we have this the attacks, the anger, the view of the sport as a failure. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they should be dismantled, to be scoured, destroyed, overwhelmed by the vengeful purity of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, out there celebrating achievements with a bashful smile similar to getting a rewarding prize. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Challenges surface from failures in the plan. Yet, mistakes are denied. It begins to thrive on hatred of the outside world.

The fact remains, a few days before from the second Test, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the lifespan of this thing. Victory is possible overseas with bold tactics. Alternatively, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it feels like we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Prior to that, a couple of points worth saying on the topic. More than two years ago, back in those heady early days, of passion and hope, a column appeared labeling it a movement. There was outrage, which was helpful since it’s clear a method to show something definitely isn’t a cult is when its acolytes react defensively objecting to the questioning of the beliefs.

What has happened recently is just as interesting. It seems that hating Bazball is now the trend. Social media is furious, disappointed commentators, images of frustrated followers overseas cheated out of three days of cricket, reminiscent of investors demanding recourse.

On the other hand, exists the larger scene of Australia’s more nuanced deep-seated frustration at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, claiming, your cherished traditions and have fostered and nurtured as one way of separating yourself from others, well, it’s all a bit of a gag ultimately.

This is the core issue. All movements are similar. The approach was a phenomenon as the game has its own culture. Or at least, the team has long been exclusive, a circle, an elite gathering, an insular community with a long history of opaque and ritualistic cult history defining it. This has always been where influence is guarded. It’s the colonial game of England, the original sports washers. And surprisingly, Britain is itself a cult, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a royal family remains.

The team have been sealed up within this world since childhood. In trying to escape from it, to foster positivity, they are just repeating their past, forming a new circle, a limited community, but now with a modern squad and a coach encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Stay present. Run towards the danger. But no matter how fast and far you run, you remain stuck.

With this mind, it is perhaps the moment to offer compassion for the approach, to recognize its positives, of which there are many. What does it represent? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with