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The Life Cycle of a Cult is often defined by specific steps.

1. The Big Idea

An inspiring figure or coaches introduce a revolutionary approach offering a panacea for struggling players.

So here we are. Preparations are underway to confront the system down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Conflict emerges from the out-houses. A lone figure, exposed, nervous, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT smeared across his chest as a symbol, has stumbled through the lines and is removed under a blanket for a temporary assignment in county cricket.

Remember the early days, when optimism reigned? The days of Bazball 1.0, of pure instinct.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders guarantee a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, camaraderie, salvation within a community with shared faith in the method.

How did it feel initially? Just men on a balcony feeling good. Ink. Strength. Focus. Peak performance vibes. Oh sure, The team often say they don’t use the label, which is funny since it’s not recognized, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear what it is. It’s Harry Brook attempting a move so unconventional it defies description. It’s the thrill of the captain in ultimate mode, a demeanor suggesting: thoughtful warrior, strong features, hair woven from beaver hide, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to notice and see him playing at mid-off stripped to the waist holding a fish.

It’s Ben Duckett still being allowed addressing the media, out there looking like a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, expressing thoughts like we’re challenging norms. Indeed, the atmosphere, initially, was entirely positive.

3. The Growth Phase

Growth phase. Cohesion maintained by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These ideas can appear contradictory as a loyalty check.

Does anyone else feel? The criticism, the anger, the disappointment after the first Ashes Test defeat seems too strong, overdone. The batting collapsed in Perth, as history shows. They were dominated in the field for a couple of hours as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, manipulated by the opponent batting like England but better, adaptive to conditions, a performer excelling with a kind of light around him.

Now there is the criticism, the frustration, the sense of English Test cricket as a kind of abomination. The feeling seems to be that losing isn’t enough, they should be dismantled, to be cleansed, obliterated, defeated through sheer skill of the bowler’s action, the conventional tactics of Scott Boland, seen enjoying achievements humbly as if receiving a pleasant gift. How will they respond?

4. The Backlash Phase

Challenges surface because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hatred of the outside world.

The fact remains, approaching the next match, we have now reached a critical juncture in the lifespan of this movement. They might succeed overseas in a blur of adrenal disruption. Probably, defeat could come swiftly. And if they do lose it feels like we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Before that happens, there are two things to note about this. In the past, during the initial excitement, of optimism and energy, a column appeared suggesting Bazball was a cult. There was outrage, which proved the point as it’s known a method to show something definitely isn’t a cult is should followers respond with anger objecting to the questioning of its truths.

What has happened lately is just as interesting. Opposition to the style has turned into a movement. Online outrage is widespread, angry English pundits, shots of angry middle-aged travelling fans missing out on play, similar to investors demanding recourse.

Conversely, there is the broader context of the opponent’s mixed ingrained annoyance with the aggressive tourists, stating, your cherished traditions and have developed to distinguish yourselves culturally from us, it’s not serious in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. Bazball was a cult since the sport itself is insular. Or at least, English cricket has always been a cult, a clique, a private event, a closed world with two hundred years of tradition and mystery behind it. Historically, this was where influence is guarded. It’s the British pastime of the nation, the early image-makers. And guess what, the nation has its own culture, a system of unknown levels, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been enclosed in this system since childhood. In trying to escape from it, to create a less brutal environment, they are mirroring their past, creating another a bubble, a closed circle, but doing it this time with a modern squad and a coach encouraging individuality provided you conform.

Stay present. Confront risks. However much you change, you’re always basically in the same place.

Reflecting on this, it might be appropriate to show understanding for Bazball, to acknowledge its merits, which are significant. What is Bazball? Promoting liberation. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with