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The Journey of a Phenomenon is often characterized by distinct phases.

1. The Grand Vision

A charismatic leader or figureheads introduce a revolutionary approach that promises a cure for disconnected individuals.

And so it goes. Preparations are underway to challenge the establishment down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Signs of trouble appear from the sidelines. An isolated player, vulnerable, anxious, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET smeared across his chest in chicken blood, has come staggering from the field and is being led away in secrecy towards an inconclusive loan stint at Derbyshire.

Do you ever miss the start, when everything was fresh? The initial phase, of pure instinct.

2. Initial Adoration

Team architects offer a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, love, success within a community with shared faith in the philosophy.

How did it feel back then? Players celebrating feeling good. Ink. Strength. Determination. Elite male wellness energy. Admittedly, England’s players insist they don’t use the label, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what did we see?

Yet it’s clear its essence. It’s the batsman attempting a move so outrageous it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of the captain in his final form, a look that says: pensive Nordic god, beard made of wood, hair woven from beaver hide, genuinely raw you half-expect to look down and see him playing in the field stripped to the waist and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the batsman still being allowed to talk in press conferences, out there looking like a joyful figure in a waistcoat, expressing thoughts like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Indeed, the atmosphere, for quite a long time, was uplifting.

3. Expansion Period

Development stage. Togetherness strengthened through repetition of the cult’s slogans. These beliefs can appear contradictory as a test of “true belief”.

Am I alone? The backlash, the fury, the sense of betrayal post-defeat seems too strong, unwarranted. The performance was poor in Perth, as history shows. They were savaged defensively for a couple of hours as plans unraveled, manipulated by the batsman batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, a man playing with a kind of light around him.

And now we have this the pile-on, the rage, the sense of English Test cricket as a kind of abomination. The feeling seems to be that England don’t just need to lose, they need to lose righteously, to be cleansed, obliterated, destroyed through sheer skill of the pace attack, the simple basics of Scott Boland, seen enjoying his wickets modestly similar to getting a rewarding prize. What will this do to them?

4. External Conflict

Issues emerge due to setbacks. However, faults are ignored. It starts to feed on anger towards critics.

In truth, approaching the next match, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the story of this approach. England could quite easily win overseas in a blur of adrenal disruption. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it appears we really might be entering the final stage.

Ahead of this, a couple of points to note regarding this. More than two years ago, back in those heady early days, of optimism and energy, a column appeared suggesting Bazball was a cult. Criticism followed, which demonstrated since it’s clear the best way of proving lack of cult status is when its acolytes send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages objecting to the questioning of the philosophy.

The developments in the last few days are fascinating. Criticism of the approach has now become the cult. Social media is furious, disappointed commentators, images of frustrated supporters abroad missing out on play, like a room full of people wanting fairness.

On the other hand, we have the wider backdrop of the host’s complex more culturally hard-wired exasperation with the aggressive tourists, claiming, your cherished traditions and have developed to distinguish yourselves culturally from us, it’s just a joke after all.

And this is the real point. All movements are similar. The approach was a phenomenon as the game has its own culture. Or rather, the team has long been exclusive, a circle, a private event, an insular community with a long history of tradition and mystery behind it. This has always been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the British pastime of England, the original sports washers. And notably, the nation has its own culture, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a royal family remains.

The players have been enclosed in this system since childhood. Attempting to break free, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their upbringing, creating another a bubble, an exclusive group, but now with a modern squad and a leader promoting authenticity if you fit the mold.

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

Reflecting on this, now is the time to show understanding for Bazball, to acknowledge its merits, of which there are many. How to define it? Encouraging expression. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with