🔗 Share this article

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

1. The Big Idea

A charismatic leader or leaders present a new and transcendent idea pledging a panacea for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. Plans are in motion to challenge the establishment down in Brisbane. Tensions are rising. Signs of trouble appear from within. An isolated player, vulnerable, anxious, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT smeared across his chest as a symbol, has stumbled into view and is taken aside in secrecy towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

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

2. Love-Bombing

Team architects guarantee a fresh beginning, a brighter tomorrow, camaraderie, salvation together united in belief in the philosophy.

How did it feel initially? Just men on a balcony feeling good. Body art. Muscles. Determination. Elite male wellness energy. Admittedly, The team often say it’s not a real term, which is funny as it’s denied, what was that spectacle?

However, everyone understands what it is. It’s Harry Brook executing a stroke so depraved it has to be pixelated. It’s the thrill of the leader at his peak, a look that says: thoughtful warrior, rugged appearance, untamed style, so authentically Modern Savage you wouldn’t be surprised to notice and find him positioned at mid-off shirtless and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the opener still being allowed speaking publicly, resembling a cheerful animal smartly dressed, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Certainly, the vibe, for quite a long time, was entirely positive.

3. Expansion Period

Growth phase. Unity enforced by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These beliefs are often illogical to prove commitment.

Is it just me? The reaction, the anger, the feeling of letdown following the initial loss feels overblown, overdone. The performance was poor during the match, as they often do in Australia. They were torn apart while bowling for a couple of hours as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by the opponent batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, a performer excelling with a kind of light around him.

Now there is the criticism, the frustration, the perception of the team as a kind of abomination. The feeling seems to be that England don’t just need to lose, they should be dismantled, to be cleansed, obliterated, overwhelmed by the vengeful purity of the bowler’s action, the conventional tactics of Scott Boland, out there celebrating successes with a bashful smile like he’s just been given a nice new fishing rod. How will they respond?

4. The Backlash Phase

Challenges surface from failures in the plan. However, faults are ignored. It begins to thrive on hatred of the outside world.

In truth, half a week out from the second Test, we have now reached a critical juncture in the story of this thing. England could quite easily win in the next Test through aggressive play. More likely, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it seems we may see the decline.

Before that happens, a couple of points to note on the topic. Previously, back in those heady early days, of light and heat, an piece was published labeling it a movement. People were very angry, which demonstrated since it’s clear how to confirm lack of cult status is when its acolytes respond with anger objecting to the questioning of its truths.

Recent events recently is just as interesting. Criticism of the approach has turned into a movement. Online outrage is widespread, critical analysts, shots of angry middle-aged followers overseas missing out on play, reminiscent of people wanting fairness.

On the other hand, exists the larger scene of the host’s complex ingrained annoyance at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, out there saying, the methods you value and have honed as one way of separating yourself from the opposition, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

Here lies the truth. Everything is a cult. The style was a trend since the sport itself is insular. In fact, the sport in England is closed, a group, an elite gathering, an insular community with centuries of opaque and ritualistic cult history supporting it. It has long been where entry is limited. It’s the colonial game of the nation, the original sports washers. And surprisingly, Britain is itself a cult, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been isolated within this world for years. Seeking change, to build a better atmosphere, they are simply replicating their past, building another enclosure, a closed circle, but doing it this time with a modern squad and a coach encouraging individuality if you fit the mold.

Focus on the moment. Embrace challenges. However much you change, you’re always basically in the same place.

With this mind, now is the time to offer compassion for the movement, to appreciate its good points, which are significant. What does it represent? Encouraging expression. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with