🔗 Share this article

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

1. The Core Concept

A charismatic leader or leaders introduce a revolutionary approach that promises a panacea for alienated and vulnerable people.

Thus we find ourselves. Plans are in motion to confront the system down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Signs of trouble appear from the sidelines. An isolated player, naked, shivering, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT written on his body in chicken blood, has come staggering from the field and is taken aside with discretion to a different team at Derbyshire.

Do you ever miss the start, when everything was fresh? The days of Bazball 1.0, of pure instinct.

2. Initial Adoration

Cult leaders promise a reboot, hope for a future, camaraderie, success among a group with shared faith in the philosophy.

How did it feel back then? A team united basking in glory. Tattoos. Muscles. Focus. Elite male wellness energy. Admittedly, The squad often say it’s not a real term, ironically because if it doesn’t exist, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear the concept. It’s the batsman playing a shot so outrageous it has to be pixelated. It’s the excitement of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, a look that says: thoughtful warrior, strong features, untamed style, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to look down and see him playing at mid-off stripped to the waist embracing nature.

It’s the batsman often seen to talk in press conferences, out there looking like a joyful figure in a waistcoat, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. Indeed, the vibe, for quite a long time, was entirely positive.

3. The Growth Phase

Growth phase. Cohesion maintained through repetition of key phrases. These beliefs can appear contradictory as a loyalty check.

Am I alone? The reaction, the outrage, the feeling of letdown following the initial loss appears excessive, too much. The performance was poor during the match, as is typical there. They were dominated in the field in a short span when tactics failed, outplayed by Travis Head playing aggressively but smarter, adjusting to the pitch, a performer excelling with aura.

And now we have this the criticism, the anger, the view of the sport as a kind of abomination. The consensus is that England don’t just need to lose, they need to lose righteously, to be purged, destroyed, overwhelmed through sheer skill of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the conventional tactics of Scott Boland, seen enjoying achievements with a bashful smile as if receiving a rewarding prize. How will they respond?

4. Hate Bonding

Issues emerge because of mistakes. However, faults are ignored. It turns to hostility externally.

Ultimately, a few days before the next match, we are at an intriguing moment in the story of this approach. England could quite easily win in Brisbane in a blur of adrenal disruption. More likely, failure may follow. And if they do lose it feels like we may see the decline.

Ahead of this, there are two things to consider on the topic. More than two years ago, at the start, of optimism and energy, an piece was published labeling it a movement. Criticism followed, which was helpful since it’s clear a method to show something definitely isn’t a cult is when its acolytes respond with anger objecting to the questioning of its truths.

What has happened in the last few days are fascinating. Criticism of the approach has now become the cult. We have a uniformly angry internet, critical analysts, images of frustrated supporters abroad cheated out of three days of cricket, similar to investors demanding recourse.

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

Here lies the truth. It’s all cults. The approach was a phenomenon as the game has its own culture. In fact, the sport in England is closed, a clique, a private event, an insular community with centuries of ceremonial past behind it. It has long been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the imperial sport of the British, the original sports washers. And notably, the country is a phenomenon, a structure of hidden ranks, a monarchy still exists.

England’s cricketers have been isolated in this environment for years. Attempting to break free, to foster positivity, they are just repeating their upbringing, forming a new circle, an exclusive group, but doing it this time with a modern squad and a coach promoting authenticity provided you conform.

Focus on the moment. Run towards the danger. However much you change, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, it is perhaps the moment to have some sympathy for the movement, to acknowledge its merits, of which there are many. How to define it? Creating a sense of freedom. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with