🔗 Share this article

The Life Cycle of a Cult is often characterized by clear stages.

1. The Big Idea

A charismatic leader or figureheads introduce a revolutionary approach offering a cure for struggling players.

Thus we find ourselves. Preparations are underway to confront the system down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Smoke is rising from the sidelines. An isolated player, exposed, shivering, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET displayed prominently in chicken blood, has stumbled into view and is removed under a blanket to a different team elsewhere.

Do you recall the start, when the world was still young? The days of Bazball 1.0, of uninhibited aggression.

2. Love-Bombing

Team architects guarantee a new start, optimism ahead, camaraderie, salvation among a group united in belief in the method.

What did it represent at first? A team united feeling good. Tattoos. Forearms. Focus. Elite male wellness energy. Oh sure, The squad will claim Bazball doesn’t actually exist, amusingly because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

However, everyone understands what it is. It’s Harry Brook executing a stroke so unconventional it has to be pixelated. It’s the thrill of the leader in his final form, an expression conveying: focused titan, beard made of wood, untamed style, so authentically Modern Savage you half-expect to notice and see him playing on the ground shirtless and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s Ben Duckett often seen addressing the media, appearing as a cheerful animal smartly dressed, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. Indeed, the vibe, initially, was entirely positive.

3. Expansion Period

Growth phase. Unity enforced through repetition of mantras. These principles can appear contradictory to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The criticism, the fury, the feeling of letdown post-defeat appears excessive, too much. The batting collapsed during the match, as is typical there. They were savaged in the field in a short span when tactics failed, outplayed by Travis Head playing aggressively but smarter, adaptive to conditions, a man playing with brilliance.

And now we have this the pile-on, the anger, the view of the sport as a disgrace. The consensus is that England don’t just need to lose, they should be dismantled, to be purged, obliterated, defeated via traditional methods of the bowler’s action, the simple basics of the veteran, marking achievements modestly similar to getting a rewarding prize. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Challenges surface because of mistakes. But the cult cannot admit errors. It begins to thrive on anger towards critics.

The fact remains, half a week out the next match, we’ve entered a delicious point of tension in the story of this thing. Victory is possible in the next Test through aggressive play. More likely, failure may follow. And if they do lose it feels like we could be witnessing the final stage.

Before that happens, there are two things to note regarding this. In the past, during the initial excitement, of light and heat, an piece was published calling it a phenomenon. Criticism followed, which proved the point since it’s clear the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is when its acolytes react defensively objecting to the questioning of the philosophy.

What has happened lately are equally notable. Opposition to the style is now the trend. We have a uniformly angry internet, angry English pundits, images of frustrated supporters abroad missing out on play, similar to people wanting fairness.

Meanwhile, exists the larger scene of the host’s complex ingrained annoyance with the aggressive tourists, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have developed as part of your identity culturally from us, it’s not serious after all.

And this is the real point. All movements are similar. The style was a trend since the sport itself is insular. Or rather, the sport in England is closed, a group, an elite gathering, a closed world with a long history of ceremonial past behind it. Historically, this was a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the British pastime of the British, the pioneering brand. And surprisingly, the country is a phenomenon, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a monarchy still exists.

The team have been isolated within this world from a young age. Attempting to break free, to foster positivity, they are mirroring their past, creating another a bubble, a closed circle, but now with a modern squad and a mentor who wants you to be yourself if you fit the mold.

Live where your feet are. Confront risks. Despite efforts, things stay similar.

Considering this, it is perhaps the moment to show understanding for Bazball, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. How to define it? Creating a sense of freedom. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with