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The Journey of a Phenomenon can be characterized by clear stages.

1. The Grand Vision

A charismatic leader or coaches propose an innovative concept offering a panacea for alienated and vulnerable people.

So here we are. They’re getting ready to storm the compound in Australia. Tensions are rising. Conflict emerges from the sidelines. A lone figure, naked, anxious, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT displayed prominently as a statement, has emerged through the lines and is being led away with discretion for a temporary assignment at Derbyshire.

Do you recall the start, when everything was fresh? The era of early Bazball, of uninhibited aggression.

2. Initial Adoration

Cult leaders guarantee a fresh beginning, a brighter tomorrow, camaraderie, redemption among a group united in belief in the big idea.

What did it represent initially? Players celebrating enjoying success. Ink. Muscles. Jawlines. Confident masculinity. Oh sure, The team will claim they don’t use the label, ironically as it’s denied, what did we see?

However, everyone understands what it is. It’s the player attempting a move so unconventional it defies description. It’s the excitement of Ben Stokes in his final form, a look that says: focused titan, rugged appearance, hair woven from beaver hide, truly contemporary you wouldn’t be surprised to notice and find him positioned on the ground shirtless embracing nature.

It’s the opener often seen speaking publicly, out there looking like a cheerful animal smartly dressed, saying stuff like we’re breaking down traditions. And yes, the energy, initially, was only good energy.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Unity enforced by rote learning of key phrases. These beliefs are often illogical to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The criticism, the anger, the feeling of letdown post-defeat seems too strong, too much. The batting collapsed during the match, as history shows. They were torn apart in the field for a couple of hours as plans unraveled, carved around by the batsman batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, a man playing with a kind of light around him.

Now there is the attacks, the rage, the sense of English Test cricket as a failure. The opinion suggests that England don’t just need to lose, they should be dismantled, to be cleansed, flame-throwered, destroyed by the vengeful purity of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the simple basics of Scott Boland, marking achievements with a bashful smile similar to getting a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Challenges surface because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It starts to feed on anger towards critics.

Ultimately, approaching from the second Test, we’ve entered a delicious point of tension in the story of this approach. England could quite easily win in the next Test through aggressive play. More likely, failure may follow. In case of defeat it feels like we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Ahead of this, a couple of points to note regarding this. More than two years ago, back in those heady early days, of passion and hope, I wrote an article suggesting Bazball was a cult. People were very angry, which demonstrated because everyone knows the best way of proving that it’s not a closed group is when its acolytes send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages rejecting criticism of the beliefs.

Recent events lately are equally notable. Opposition to the style has turned into a movement. Online outrage is widespread, angry English pundits, images of frustrated travelling fans missing out on play, reminiscent of investors demanding recourse.

Conversely, there is the broader context of the host’s complex deep-seated frustration with the aggressive tourists, out there saying, your cherished traditions and have honed as one way of separating yourself from others, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. All movements are similar. The approach was a phenomenon because cricket is a cult. Or rather, the team has long been exclusive, a group, an elite gathering, a closed world with a long history of opaque and ritualistic cult history supporting it. Historically, this was a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the British pastime of England, the early image-makers. And guess what, the country is a phenomenon, a system of unknown levels, a place that literally still has a king.

England’s cricketers have been sealed up in this system from a young age. In trying to escape from it, to create a less brutal environment, they are just repeating their past, building another enclosure, an exclusive group, but doing it this time with 15 cool guys and a mentor encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Stay present. Embrace challenges. Despite efforts, you remain stuck.

Considering this, now is the time to show understanding for the approach, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. How to define it? Creating a sense of freedom. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with