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

1. The Grand Vision

A dominant personality or figureheads propose a revolutionary approach pledging a panacea for disconnected individuals.

And so it goes. Plans are in motion to challenge the establishment overseas. Tensions are rising. Signs of trouble appear from within. An isolated player, vulnerable, shivering, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET written on his body as a statement, has stumbled into view and is being led away under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

Do you recall the early days, when everything was fresh? The era of early Bazball, of uninhibited aggression.

2. Initial Adoration

Cult leaders offer a fresh beginning, hope for a future, love, salvation among a group with shared faith in the big idea.

How did it feel back then? Just men on a balcony basking in glory. Body art. Forearms. Determination. Elite male wellness energy. Of course, England’s players often say Bazball doesn’t actually exist, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what did we see?

However, everyone understands the concept. It’s the batsman attempting a move so outrageous it’s beyond belief. It’s the excitement of the leader at his peak, a demeanor suggesting: focused titan, rugged appearance, untamed style, genuinely raw you half-expect to look down and notice he’s fielding at mid-off shirtless and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the batsman often seen addressing the media, out there looking like a joyful figure formally attired, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Certainly, the energy, for a significant period, was uplifting.

3. Expansion Period

Building period. Unity enforced through repetition of the cult’s slogans. These principles can appear contradictory to prove commitment.

Does anyone else feel? The criticism, the fury, the disappointment following the initial loss feels overblown, too much. The batting collapsed in Perth, as is typical there. They were savaged defensively during a brief period as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, outplayed by Travis Head batting like England but better, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with brilliance.

And now we have this the attacks, the rage, the sense of English Test cricket as a failure. The feeling seems to be that England don’t just need to lose, they need to lose righteously, to be scoured, obliterated, overwhelmed by the vengeful purity of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, marking his wickets humbly as if receiving a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Issues emerge from failures in the plan. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hostility externally.

The fact remains, a few days before the upcoming game, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the story of this thing. England could quite easily win in Brisbane with bold tactics. More likely, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it seems we really might be entering the decline.

Ahead of this, several aspects to consider about this. Previously, back in those heady early days, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article suggesting Bazball was a cult. There was outrage, which was helpful as it’s known a method to show something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters respond with anger denying scrutiny of the philosophy.

What has happened in the last few days are fascinating. It seems that hating Bazball has now become the cult. Online outrage is widespread, critical analysts, shots of angry middle-aged supporters abroad missing out on play, like a room full of timeshare owners seeking justice.

Meanwhile, we have the wider backdrop of Australia’s more nuanced more culturally hard-wired exasperation with the aggressive tourists, claiming, your cherished traditions and have honed to distinguish yourselves culturally from us, well, it’s all a bit of a gag after all.

And this is the real point. All movements are similar. Bazball was a cult as the game has its own culture. In fact, the sport in England is closed, a group, a garden party, an insular community with a long history of tradition and mystery supporting it. Historically, this was a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the colonial game of England, the pioneering brand. And guess what, Britain is itself a cult, a structure of hidden ranks, a royal family remains.

The players have been sealed up in this environment for years. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their own experience, building another enclosure, an exclusive group, but now with a new team and a leader who wants you to be yourself as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Stay present. Confront risks. However much you change, things stay similar.

With this mind, it might be appropriate to offer compassion for the approach, to recognize its positives, which are significant. What does it represent? Creating a sense of freedom. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with