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The Life Cycle of a Cult can be marked by specific steps.

1. The Grand Vision

A dominant personality or figureheads propose a new and transcendent idea that promises a solution for struggling players.

Thus we find ourselves. They’re getting ready to storm the compound in Australia. Pressure is mounting. Smoke is rising from within. One individual, exposed, nervous, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT written on his body in chicken blood, has stumbled from the field and is taken aside in secrecy to a different team elsewhere.

Do you recall the beginning, when everything was fresh? The era of early Bazball, of Bazball without brains.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders promise a new start, hope for a future, support, salvation together who all believe in the big idea.

How did it feel initially? Just men on a balcony feeling good. Body art. Strength. Focus. Confident masculinity. Of course, The team insist Bazball doesn’t actually exist, ironically as it’s denied, what did we see?

But we know its essence. It’s the batsman attempting a move so outrageous it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of Ben Stokes at his peak, a look that says: thoughtful warrior, beard made of wood, untamed style, truly contemporary you almost imagine to notice and find him positioned on the ground stripped to the waist holding a fish.

It’s the opener still being allowed to talk in press conferences, out there looking like a cheerful animal formally attired, saying stuff like we’re breaking down traditions. And yes, the atmosphere, for a significant period, was only good energy.

3. Expansion Period

Building period. Togetherness strengthened through repetition of mantras. These ideas are often illogical as a test of “true belief”.

Does anyone else feel? The reaction, the anger, the disappointment following the initial loss appears excessive, unwarranted. The performance was poor in Perth, as is typical there. They were torn apart in the field for a couple of hours as plans unraveled, carved around by the opponent imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, a man playing with aura.

Now there is the criticism, the anger, the perception of the team as a failure. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they need to lose righteously, to be scoured, destroyed, overwhelmed via traditional methods of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the conventional tactics of the bowler, marking achievements with a bashful smile as if receiving a rewarding prize. How will they respond?

4. Hate Bonding

Issues emerge due to setbacks. However, faults are ignored. It begins to thrive on hostility externally.

Ultimately, a few days before the upcoming game, we’ve entered a delicious point of tension in the story of this movement. They might succeed overseas through aggressive play. More likely, defeat could come swiftly. Should they fail it feels like we could be witnessing the final stage.

Ahead of this, several aspects worth saying regarding this. In the past, back in those heady early days, of light and heat, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. Criticism followed, which was helpful because everyone knows how to confirm something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters react defensively denying scrutiny of the philosophy.

The developments in the last few days are fascinating. Criticism of the approach has now become the cult. We have a uniformly angry internet, critical analysts, pictures of upset travelling fans disappointed by the short match, similar to timeshare owners seeking justice.

On the other hand, exists the larger scene of the opponent’s mixed more culturally hard-wired exasperation towards the unconventional visitors, stating, the methods you value and have fostered and nurtured as part of your identity culturally from us, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. Everything is a cult. Bazball was a cult as the game has its own culture. Or rather, the sport in England is closed, a circle, a garden party, a closed world with two hundred years of tradition and mystery supporting it. Historically, this was where influence is guarded. It’s the imperial sport of the British, the early image-makers. And surprisingly, the country is a phenomenon, a structure of hidden ranks, a monarchy still exists.

England’s cricketers have been sealed up within this world from a young age. In trying to escape from it, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their past, forming a new circle, an exclusive group, but now with a new team and a coach encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Run towards the danger. But no matter how fast and far you run, you remain stuck.

Considering this, it might be appropriate to offer compassion for the movement, to appreciate its good points, which are significant. How to define it? Encouraging expression. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with