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

1. The Big Idea

An inspiring figure or leaders propose a revolutionary approach pledging a panacea for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. They’re getting ready to challenge the establishment in Australia. The gunships are circling. Signs of trouble appear from the out-houses. One individual, vulnerable, anxious, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET smeared across his chest in chicken blood, has come staggering from the field and is being led away with discretion towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

Do you ever miss the beginning, when optimism reigned? The era of early Bazball, of Bazball without brains.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders guarantee a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, love, salvation within a community united in belief in the big idea.

What did it represent initially? Players celebrating basking in glory. Body art. Muscles. Jawlines. Peak performance vibes. Oh sure, England’s players insist Bazball doesn’t actually exist, ironically as it’s denied, what did we see?

However, everyone understands its essence. It’s Harry Brook attempting a move so outrageous it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of the leader in his final form, a demeanor suggesting: thoughtful warrior, rugged appearance, hair woven from beaver hide, truly contemporary you wouldn’t be surprised to look down and see him playing at mid-off stripped to the waist holding a fish.

It’s Ben Duckett continuing to have permission speaking publicly, appearing as a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. Indeed, the energy, for quite a long time, was only good energy.

3. A New Life

Development stage. Cohesion maintained through repetition of mantras. These beliefs can appear contradictory to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The criticism, the fury, the sense of betrayal post-defeat feels overblown, unwarranted. England batted badly in Perth, as history shows. They were torn apart in the field for a couple of hours when tactics failed, carved around by the batsman batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, a performer excelling with brilliance.

Now there is the pile-on, the frustration, the view of the sport as a disgrace. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they should be dismantled, to be purged, destroyed, overwhelmed via traditional methods of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of the bowler, out there celebrating successes humbly like he’s just been given a nice new fishing rod. What impact will this have?

4. External Conflict

Challenges surface because of mistakes. However, faults are ignored. It begins to thrive on hostility externally.

The fact remains, half a week out the upcoming game, we have now reached an intriguing moment in the journey of this thing. Victory is possible overseas with bold tactics. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it appears we could be witnessing the death cult phase.

Ahead of this, a couple of points to consider regarding this. In the past, during the initial excitement, of passion and hope, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. People were very angry, which proved the point since it’s clear a method to show something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters respond with anger rejecting criticism of its truths.

What has happened recently are fascinating. It seems that hating Bazball has turned into a movement. Social media is furious, critical analysts, images of frustrated travelling fans disappointed by the short match, like a room full of timeshare owners seeking justice.

Conversely, we have the wider backdrop of the opponent’s mixed more culturally hard-wired exasperation at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have developed to distinguish yourselves from the opposition, well, it’s all a bit of a gag after all.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. The approach was a phenomenon because cricket is a cult. Or at least, English cricket has always been a cult, a circle, an elite gathering, a restricted environment with centuries of ceremonial past defining it. It has long been where entry is limited. It’s the imperial sport of the British, the original sports washers. And notably, the nation has its own culture, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been isolated in this system from a young age. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are just repeating their past, creating another a bubble, a closed circle, but doing it this time with a modern squad and a mentor who wants you to be yourself as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Stay present. Run towards the danger. Despite efforts, things stay similar.

Considering this, it is perhaps the moment to offer compassion for the movement, to recognize its positives, that are numerous. What is Bazball? Encouraging expression. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with