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

1. The Grand Vision

A dominant personality or figureheads propose an innovative concept offering a panacea for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. They’re getting ready to storm the compound down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Smoke is rising from the sidelines. One individual, naked, nervous, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT displayed prominently as a statement, has come staggering into view and is removed under a blanket for a temporary assignment in county cricket.

Remember the beginning, when optimism reigned? The days of Bazball 1.0, of Bazball without brains.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders offer a new start, optimism ahead, support, redemption together who all believe in the big idea.

What was this thing initially? Players celebrating basking in glory. Ink. Forearms. Determination. Confident masculinity. Admittedly, England’s players will claim Bazball doesn’t actually exist, amusingly as it’s denied, what did we see?

But we know what it is. It’s the player attempting a move so unconventional it’s beyond belief. It’s the excitement of the leader at his peak, a look that says: thoughtful warrior, strong features, natural look, genuinely raw you half-expect to notice and find him positioned in the field bare-chested embracing nature.

It’s the batsman still being allowed to talk in press conferences, out there looking like a cheerful animal formally attired, uttering phrases such as we’re breaking down traditions. And yes, the vibe, initially, was entirely positive.

3. Expansion Period

Development stage. Cohesion maintained by rote learning of key phrases. These principles are often illogical to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The criticism, the outrage, the disappointment following the initial loss feels overblown, too much. The batting collapsed on the field, as history shows. They were savaged defensively in a short span as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, manipulated by the opponent imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with brilliance.

Currently, we see the pile-on, the frustration, the sense of English Test cricket as a failure. The opinion suggests that England don’t just need to lose, they must be humbled, to be cleansed, destroyed, defeated via traditional methods of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of the veteran, marking achievements modestly like he’s just been given a nice new fishing rod. How will they respond?

4. Hate Bonding

Issues emerge due to setbacks. Yet, mistakes are denied. It begins to thrive on hatred of the outside world.

The fact remains, approaching from the second Test, we are at a critical juncture in the story of this thing. They might succeed overseas with bold tactics. Probably, failure may follow. And if they do lose it appears we could be witnessing the final stage.

Before that happens, a couple of points to note regarding this. Previously, back in those heady early days, of passion and hope, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. People were very angry, which demonstrated because everyone knows a method to show lack of cult status is should followers respond with anger denying scrutiny of the philosophy.

Recent events recently are fascinating. Opposition to the style is now the trend. Online outrage is widespread, angry English pundits, shots of angry middle-aged travelling fans missing out on play, similar to people wanting fairness.

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 developed as part of your identity from others, well, it’s all a bit of a gag ultimately.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. The approach was a phenomenon because cricket is a cult. Or at least, the team has long been exclusive, a circle, an elite gathering, a closed world with centuries of opaque and ritualistic cult history defining it. Historically, this was a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the British pastime of the British, the pioneering brand. And notably, the nation has its own culture, a structure of hidden ranks, a place that literally still has a king.

England’s cricketers have been enclosed within this world since childhood. Attempting to break free, to foster positivity, they are just repeating their past, forming a new circle, an exclusive group, however with a modern squad and a mentor promoting authenticity as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Confront risks. But no matter how fast and far you run, you remain stuck.

With this mind, it is perhaps the moment to show understanding for the movement, to acknowledge its merits, which are significant. What does it represent? Promoting liberation. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with