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

1. The Grand Vision

An inspiring figure or coaches introduce a revolutionary approach that promises a solution for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. They’re getting ready to confront the system in Australia. The gunships are circling. Smoke is rising from the out-houses. A lone figure, exposed, shivering, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET written on his body as a statement, has stumbled through the lines and is removed under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

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

2. Love-Bombing

Team architects offer a new start, optimism ahead, love, salvation together with shared faith in the philosophy.

How did it feel back then? A team united enjoying success. Tattoos. Muscles. Focus. Elite male wellness energy. Of course, The squad insist Bazball doesn’t actually exist, ironically since it’s not recognized, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear what it is. It’s the player attempting a move so unconventional it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of Ben Stokes in his final form, a demeanor suggesting: thoughtful warrior, beard made of wood, untamed style, truly contemporary you wouldn’t be surprised to notice and see him playing on the ground bare-chested holding a fish.

It’s the batsman continuing to have permission to talk in press conferences, appearing as a happy little woodland creature in a waistcoat, uttering phrases such as we’re challenging norms. Indeed, the energy, for quite a long time, was uplifting.

3. Expansion Period

Development stage. Togetherness strengthened by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These ideas can appear contradictory as a test of “true belief”.

Is it just me? The reaction, the fury, the feeling of letdown post-defeat feels overblown, unwarranted. England batted badly on the field, as history shows. They were torn apart in the field in a short span as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, outplayed by the opponent batting like England but better, adjusting to the pitch, a man playing with brilliance.

Now there is the criticism, the frustration, the perception of the team as a disgrace. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they should be dismantled, to be cleansed, flame-throwered, destroyed via traditional methods of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, out there celebrating achievements with a bashful smile as if receiving a pleasant gift. How will they respond?

4. The Backlash Phase

Challenges surface due to setbacks. Yet, mistakes are denied. It starts to feed on hostility externally.

The fact remains, approaching from the second Test, we have now reached a delicious point of tension in the journey of this thing. They might succeed in the next Test through aggressive play. More likely, failure may follow. Should they fail it appears we could be witnessing the decline.

Prior to that, a couple of points worth saying on the topic. More than two years ago, at the start, of light and heat, a column appeared calling it a phenomenon. People were very angry, which proved the point as it’s known how to confirm lack of cult status is if supporters respond with anger objecting to the questioning of its truths.

What has happened recently is just as interesting. It seems that hating Bazball is now the trend. Online outrage is widespread, critical analysts, images of frustrated travelling fans missing out on play, similar to investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, there is the broader context of the opponent’s mixed deep-seated frustration at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, stating, hey, that thing you love and have honed to distinguish yourselves from others, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. Bazball was a cult as the game has its own culture. Or at least, the sport in England is closed, a group, an elite gathering, a closed world with two hundred years of ceremonial past supporting it. Historically, this was where entry is limited. It’s the imperial sport of the nation, the original sports washers. And notably, Britain is itself a cult, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been isolated in this environment for years. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are just repeating their past, creating another a bubble, an exclusive group, but doing it this time with 15 cool guys and a coach encouraging individuality as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Stay present. Run towards the danger. But no matter how fast and far you run, you’re always basically in the same place.

Reflecting on this, it might be appropriate to have some sympathy for the movement, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. How to define it? Creating a sense of freedom. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with