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The Life Cycle of a Cult is often marked by distinct phases.

1. The Grand Vision

A charismatic leader or coaches introduce an innovative concept pledging a solution for disconnected individuals.

So here we are. Preparations are underway to challenge the establishment down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Conflict emerges from the out-houses. One individual, vulnerable, anxious, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT displayed prominently as a statement, has stumbled from the field and is removed with discretion towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

Do you recall the early days, when the world was still young? The era of early Bazball, of Bazball without brains.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders promise a reboot, optimism ahead, support, salvation among a group united in belief in the method.

How did it feel at first? A team united feeling good. Tattoos. Muscles. Focus. Confident masculinity. Oh sure, The squad will claim Bazball doesn’t actually exist, amusingly since it’s not recognized, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear the concept. It’s the batsman playing a shot so outrageous it’s beyond belief. It’s the excitement of Ben Stokes at his peak, a look that says: focused titan, rugged appearance, untamed style, genuinely raw you half-expect to look down and see him playing in the field stripped to the waist embracing nature.

It’s the opener still being allowed speaking publicly, out there looking like a cheerful animal formally attired, uttering phrases such as we are actively deconstructing the orange. Certainly, the energy, for quite a long time, was uplifting.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Cohesion maintained through repetition of key phrases. These beliefs are often illogical as a loyalty check.

Does anyone else feel? The backlash, the outrage, the sense of betrayal following the initial loss appears excessive, overdone. England batted badly on the field, as they often do in Australia. They were dominated in the field in a short span as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, manipulated by the batsman batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, an athlete shining with a kind of light around him.

And now we have this the pile-on, the frustration, the perception of the team as a kind of abomination. The opinion suggests that losing isn’t enough, they need to lose righteously, to be cleansed, obliterated, destroyed via traditional methods of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of Scott Boland, marking successes modestly as if receiving a pleasant gift. What will this do to them?

4. External Conflict

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

Ultimately, approaching the upcoming game, we are at a critical juncture in the story of this approach. England could quite easily win in the next Test with bold tactics. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. Should they fail it feels like we may see the death cult phase.

Prior to that, several aspects to consider regarding this. Previously, during the initial excitement, of passion and hope, a column appeared suggesting Bazball was a cult. People were very angry, which demonstrated as it’s known the best way of proving lack of cult status is when its acolytes respond with anger rejecting criticism of its truths.

Recent events lately are fascinating. It seems that hating Bazball has now become the cult. Online outrage is widespread, disappointed commentators, pictures of upset followers overseas disappointed by the short match, reminiscent of people wanting fairness.

Meanwhile, we have the wider backdrop of the host’s complex deep-seated frustration with the aggressive tourists, stating, the methods you value and have developed as part of your identity from the opposition, well, it’s all a bit of a gag after all.

Here lies the truth. Everything is a cult. The approach was a phenomenon as the game has its own culture. Or at least, the sport in England is closed, a clique, a private event, an insular community with two hundred years of opaque and ritualistic cult history behind it. It has long been where entry is limited. It’s the colonial game of the British, the original sports washers. And surprisingly, Britain is itself a cult, a system of unknown levels, a royal family remains.

The team have been sealed up in this environment since childhood. Seeking change, to foster positivity, they are mirroring their past, forming a new circle, a closed circle, but now with 15 cool guys and a coach encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Stay present. Embrace challenges. Despite efforts, things stay similar.

Considering this, it is perhaps the moment to show understanding for the movement, to acknowledge its merits, that are numerous. How to define it? Encouraging expression. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with