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

1. The Core Concept

An inspiring figure or leaders propose an innovative concept pledging a solution for alienated and vulnerable people.

Thus we find ourselves. Plans are in motion to confront the system in Australia. Tensions are rising. Smoke is rising from within. One individual, naked, anxious, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT smeared across his chest as a statement, has stumbled into view and is taken aside in secrecy to a different team in county cricket.

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

2. Love-Bombing

Team architects promise a new start, a brighter tomorrow, support, redemption among a group with shared faith in the method.

What did it represent at first? A team united feeling good. Ink. Forearms. Jawlines. Confident masculinity. Of course, The team insist it’s not a real term, amusingly since it’s not recognized, what did we see?

Yet it’s clear the concept. It’s the player attempting a move so unconventional it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of Ben Stokes at his peak, an expression conveying: focused titan, beard made of wood, untamed style, truly contemporary you half-expect to look down and find him positioned on the ground stripped to the waist embracing nature.

It’s the opener often seen addressing the media, appearing as a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, uttering phrases such as we are actively deconstructing the orange. Certainly, the energy, for a significant period, was only good energy.

3. Expansion Period

Development stage. Togetherness strengthened by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These principles can appear contradictory to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The reaction, the outrage, the feeling of letdown following the initial loss appears excessive, unwarranted. The performance was poor during the match, as is typical there. They were dominated defensively during a brief period as plans unraveled, carved around by the opponent batting like England but better, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with a kind of light around him.

Now there is the pile-on, the frustration, the sense of English Test cricket as a failure. The feeling seems to be that England don’t just need to lose, they should be dismantled, to be scoured, destroyed, destroyed by the vengeful purity of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the simple basics of the bowler, seen enjoying successes humbly similar to getting a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Challenges surface because of mistakes. But the cult cannot admit errors. It starts to feed on hatred of the outside world.

The fact remains, approaching from the second Test, we’ve entered a delicious point of tension in the journey of this approach. Victory is possible in the next Test with bold tactics. Alternatively, failure may follow. And if they do lose it appears we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Before that happens, there are two things to note on the topic. In the past, back in those heady early days, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article labeling it a movement. There was outrage, which demonstrated since it’s clear the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters react defensively denying scrutiny of its truths.

Recent events in the last few days are equally notable. Opposition to the style has now become the cult. Online outrage is widespread, disappointed commentators, images of frustrated followers overseas cheated out of three days of cricket, like a room full of investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, exists the larger scene of Australia’s more nuanced deep-seated frustration with the aggressive tourists, out there saying, hey, that thing you love and have honed as part of your identity from others, it’s just a joke ultimately.

This is the core issue. Everything is a cult. The style was a trend because cricket is a cult. Or rather, English cricket has always been a cult, a circle, a private event, an insular community with a long history of tradition and mystery supporting it. It has long been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the colonial game of the British, the early image-makers. And guess what, Britain is itself a cult, a structure of hidden ranks, a place that literally still has a king.

The players have been sealed up within this world for years. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their past, building another enclosure, a limited community, but now with a modern squad and a mentor promoting authenticity if you fit the mold.

Stay present. Run towards the danger. But no matter how fast and far you run, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, it is perhaps the moment to have some sympathy for Bazball, to appreciate its good points, of which there are many. What does it represent? Creating a sense of freedom. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with