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The Journey of a Phenomenon is often marked by clear stages.

1. The Grand Vision

An inspiring figure or figureheads propose a new and transcendent idea offering a cure for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. Preparations are underway to challenge the establishment overseas. Tensions are rising. Smoke is rising from the sidelines. A lone figure, vulnerable, anxious, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET written on his body as a statement, has emerged from the field and is removed in secrecy towards an inconclusive loan stint in county cricket.

Remember the beginning, when everything was fresh? The days of Bazball 1.0, of pure instinct.

2. Initial Adoration

Team architects offer a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, love, redemption among a group with shared faith in the philosophy.

What was this thing at first? Players celebrating basking in glory. Body art. Strength. Jawlines. Confident masculinity. Oh sure, The team will claim it’s not a real term, which is funny since it’s not recognized, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear its essence. It’s the player playing a shot so unconventional it’s beyond belief. It’s the thrill of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, a demeanor suggesting: pensive Nordic god, strong features, natural look, so authentically Modern Savage you almost imagine to look down and notice he’s fielding at mid-off bare-chested and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the opener continuing to have permission speaking publicly, resembling a joyful figure smartly dressed, expressing thoughts like we’re challenging norms. Certainly, the energy, for quite a long time, was entirely positive.

3. Expansion Period

Development stage. Unity enforced via memorization of the cult’s slogans. These principles can appear contradictory as a test of “true belief”.

Is it just me? The reaction, the anger, the disappointment following the initial loss appears excessive, unwarranted. The performance was poor during the match, as history shows. They were torn apart in the field for a couple of hours as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by the batsman playing aggressively but smarter, adjusting to the pitch, a man playing with aura.

Currently, we see the attacks, the anger, the perception of the team as a failure. The consensus is that England don’t just need to lose, they need to lose righteously, to be scoured, destroyed, destroyed by the vengeful purity of the bowler’s action, the conventional tactics of the bowler, marking achievements humbly like he’s just been given a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. Hate Bonding

Problems arise due to setbacks. But the cult cannot admit errors. It begins to thrive on hostility externally.

The fact remains, a few days before from the second Test, we are at a delicious point of tension in the story of this thing. Victory is possible in the next Test with bold tactics. More likely, failure may follow. Should they fail it feels like we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Prior to that, several aspects to consider regarding this. In the past, during the initial excitement, of optimism and energy, a column appeared calling it a phenomenon. People were very angry, which proved the point because everyone knows a method to show that it’s not a closed group is should followers respond with anger denying scrutiny of its truths.

The developments recently are equally notable. Criticism of the approach has turned into a movement. We have a uniformly angry internet, angry English pundits, pictures of upset travelling fans cheated out of three days of cricket, reminiscent of people wanting fairness.

On the other hand, there is the broader context of Australia’s more nuanced ingrained annoyance at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, stating, your cherished traditions and have honed as part of your identity from others, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. The style was a trend as the game has its own culture. Or at least, English cricket has always been a cult, a circle, an elite gathering, a restricted environment with two hundred years of opaque and ritualistic cult history behind it. It has long been where influence is guarded. 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 enclosed in this system from a young age. In trying to escape from it, to build a better atmosphere, they are mirroring their upbringing, forming a new circle, a closed circle, however with a new team and a mentor who wants you to be yourself as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Live where your feet are. Embrace challenges. However much you change, you’re always basically in the same place.

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