🔗 Share this article

The Evolution of a Movement can be marked by distinct phases.

1. The Grand Vision

A dominant personality or figureheads introduce a revolutionary approach offering a panacea for disconnected individuals.

Thus we find ourselves. They’re getting ready to challenge the establishment down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Smoke is rising from the sidelines. One individual, exposed, shivering, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET smeared across his chest as a statement, has come staggering from the field and is removed in secrecy to a different team at Derbyshire.

Do you ever miss the early days, when optimism reigned? The era of early Bazball, of pure instinct.

2. Love-Bombing

Cult leaders offer a new start, optimism ahead, love, success together with shared faith in the big idea.

What was this thing back then? A team united basking in glory. Body art. Strength. Determination. Peak performance vibes. Admittedly, The team insist it’s not a real term, which is funny since it’s not recognized, what exactly did I just watch?

However, everyone understands its essence. It’s the player executing a stroke so depraved it defies description. It’s the thrill of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, a look that says: pensive Nordic god, strong features, hair woven from beaver hide, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to glance over and find him positioned in the field stripped to the waist embracing nature.

It’s the batsman often seen to talk in press conferences, appearing as a happy little woodland creature in a waistcoat, saying stuff like we’re breaking down traditions. And yes, the energy, for a significant period, was uplifting.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Cohesion maintained by rote learning of key phrases. These ideas can appear contradictory as a loyalty check.

Is it just me? The reaction, the fury, the sense of betrayal post-defeat feels overblown, overdone. England batted badly during the match, as they often do in Australia. They were dominated in the field for a couple of hours as plans unraveled, manipulated by the batsman imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with brilliance.

Now there is the pile-on, the anger, the view of the sport as a failure. The consensus is that defeat must be total, they should be dismantled, to be purged, flame-throwered, destroyed via traditional methods of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the conventional tactics of the bowler, marking achievements with a bashful smile like he’s just been given a rewarding prize. What will this do to them?

4. External Conflict

Issues emerge from failures in the plan. But the cult cannot admit errors. It begins to thrive on hatred of the outside world.

The fact remains, approaching the next match, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the journey of this approach. Victory is possible overseas through aggressive play. More likely, defeat could come swiftly. In case of defeat it seems we could be witnessing the death cult phase.

Ahead of this, a couple of points to note regarding this. Previously, during the initial excitement, of passion and hope, I wrote an article suggesting Bazball was a cult. People were very angry, which proved the point since it’s clear the best way of proving that it’s not a closed group is if supporters respond with anger objecting to the questioning of the beliefs.

What has happened in the last few days is just as interesting. Opposition to the style is now the trend. Social media is furious, critical analysts, shots of angry middle-aged followers overseas disappointed by the short match, like a room full of investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, there is the broader context of the host’s complex deep-seated frustration at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, claiming, your cherished traditions and have honed as part of your identity from others, it’s not serious after all.

This is the core issue. It’s all cults. The style was a trend because cricket is a cult. Or rather, the team has long been exclusive, a clique, a private event, a restricted environment with centuries of ceremonial past defining it. This has always been where influence is guarded. It’s the colonial game of the nation, the early image-makers. And surprisingly, the nation has its own culture, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a royal family remains.

The team have been enclosed within this world since childhood. Attempting to break free, to foster positivity, they are simply replicating their past, forming a new circle, a limited community, but doing it this time with a new team and a mentor promoting authenticity 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, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, now is the time to show understanding for the approach, to recognize its positives, of which there are many. How to define it? Creating a sense of freedom. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with