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The Life Cycle of a Cult can be characterized by clear stages.

1. The Big Idea

An inspiring figure or coaches introduce a revolutionary approach pledging a panacea for alienated and vulnerable people.

Thus we find ourselves. Plans are in motion to storm the compound down in Brisbane. Pressure is mounting. Signs of trouble appear from the sidelines. A lone figure, naked, nervous, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET written on his body in chicken blood, has come staggering into view and is being led away under a blanket to a different team at Derbyshire.

Remember the beginning, when everything was fresh? The days of Bazball 1.0, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders offer a new start, a brighter tomorrow, love, success among a group who all believe in the method.

What was this thing at first? Players celebrating basking in glory. Tattoos. Strength. Determination. Confident masculinity. Of course, England’s players often say Bazball doesn’t actually exist, ironically because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear the concept. It’s Harry Brook playing a shot so depraved it’s beyond belief. It’s the thrill of the captain in his final form, a demeanor suggesting: focused titan, strong features, hair woven from beaver hide, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to notice and notice he’s fielding in the field stripped to the waist holding a fish.

It’s the opener still being allowed addressing the media, out there looking like a cheerful animal in a waistcoat, expressing thoughts like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Certainly, the atmosphere, initially, was only good energy.

3. Expansion Period

Growth phase. Togetherness strengthened through repetition of mantras. These principles can appear contradictory to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The reaction, the anger, the feeling of letdown after the first Ashes Test defeat feels overblown, too much. The batting collapsed in Perth, as history shows. They were savaged in the field in a short span as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, outplayed by the opponent imitating their style effectively, responsive to the situation, an athlete shining with brilliance.

Now there is the attacks, the frustration, the view of the sport as a failure. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they should be dismantled, to be scoured, destroyed, overwhelmed by the vengeful purity of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of the veteran, marking successes humbly similar to getting a pleasant gift. What will this do to them?

4. External Conflict

Problems arise from failures in the plan. Yet, mistakes are denied. It starts to feed on hatred of the outside world.

Ultimately, approaching the upcoming game, we’ve entered a delicious point of tension in the lifespan of this approach. England could quite easily win in Brisbane in a blur of adrenal disruption. More likely, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it feels like we really might be entering the decline.

Ahead of this, there are two things to consider about this. Previously, at the start, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. Criticism followed, which was helpful since it’s clear a method to show lack of cult status is if supporters react defensively rejecting criticism of its truths.

The developments lately are equally notable. Criticism of the approach is now the trend. We have a uniformly angry internet, disappointed commentators, images of frustrated supporters abroad cheated out of three days of cricket, like a room full of investors demanding recourse.

On the other hand, there is the broader context of the host’s complex ingrained annoyance with the aggressive tourists, out there saying, your cherished traditions and have developed as one way of separating yourself from others, it’s just a joke ultimately.

And this is the real point. Everything is a cult. The approach was a phenomenon as the game has its own culture. Or rather, the team has long been exclusive, a clique, a garden party, a restricted environment with centuries of opaque and ritualistic cult history supporting it. This has always been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the imperial sport of the nation, 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 players have been enclosed in this environment for years. Attempting to break free, to foster positivity, they are just repeating their upbringing, creating another a bubble, a closed circle, however with a new team and a leader who wants you to be yourself provided you conform.

Live where your feet are. Run towards the danger. However much you change, you remain stuck.

With this mind, it is perhaps the moment to have some sympathy for Bazball, to appreciate its good points, of which there are many. How to define it? Encouraging expression. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with