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The Life Cycle of a Cult tends to be defined by clear stages.

1. The Grand Vision

A charismatic leader or leaders present a revolutionary approach that promises a panacea for struggling players.

Thus we find ourselves. They’re getting ready to challenge the establishment down in Brisbane. Pressure is mounting. Conflict emerges from the sidelines. An isolated player, naked, nervous, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT written on his body as a statement, has come staggering from the field and is taken aside in secrecy towards an inconclusive loan stint in county cricket.

Do you recall the start, when the world was still young? The initial phase, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Movement founders offer a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, support, redemption together united in belief in the big idea.

What did it represent initially? Just men on a balcony enjoying success. Body art. Muscles. Focus. Peak performance vibes. Of course, England’s players often say they don’t use the label, amusingly because if it doesn’t exist, what was that spectacle?

But we know what it is. It’s the player attempting a move so depraved it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of Ben Stokes in his final form, an expression conveying: thoughtful warrior, strong features, untamed style, so authentically Modern Savage you half-expect to notice and notice he’s fielding on the ground stripped to the waist embracing nature.

It’s the batsman often seen speaking publicly, appearing as a cheerful animal smartly dressed, expressing thoughts like we’re breaking down traditions. Indeed, the atmosphere, for a significant period, was uplifting.

3. Expansion Period

Growth phase. Cohesion maintained via memorization of mantras. These principles are often illogical as a test of “true belief”.

Is it just me? The backlash, the outrage, the feeling of letdown after the first Ashes Test defeat feels overblown, unwarranted. The performance was poor in Perth, as is typical there. They were torn apart defensively in a short span when tactics failed, outplayed by Travis Head batting like England but better, adaptive to conditions, a performer excelling with aura.

Currently, we see the criticism, the frustration, the perception of the team as a failure. The feeling seems to be that defeat must be total, they must be humbled, to be scoured, obliterated, defeated through sheer skill of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of the veteran, out there celebrating successes modestly similar to getting a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Challenges surface due to setbacks. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to hostility externally.

In truth, approaching from the second Test, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the journey of this thing. Victory is possible overseas in a blur of adrenal disruption. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it appears we could be witnessing the decline.

Ahead of this, a couple of points worth saying about this. Previously, back in those heady early days, of light and heat, an piece was published labeling it a movement. There was outrage, which was helpful as it’s known the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is should followers react defensively rejecting criticism of its truths.

The developments in the last few days are equally notable. Opposition to the style has now become the cult. We have a uniformly angry internet, angry English pundits, images of frustrated travelling fans cheated out of three days of cricket, similar to investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, we have the wider backdrop of the opponent’s mixed ingrained annoyance with the aggressive tourists, out there saying, the methods you value and have honed as one way of separating yourself from others, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. Everything is a cult. The approach was a phenomenon because cricket is a cult. Or at least, English cricket has always been a cult, a group, a private event, an insular community with centuries of ceremonial past supporting it. Historically, this was a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the colonial game of England, the pioneering brand. And guess what, the country is a phenomenon, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a monarchy still exists.

England’s cricketers have been sealed up in this system from a young age. Seeking change, to build a better atmosphere, they are mirroring their own experience, forming a new circle, a limited community, however with a new team and a mentor promoting authenticity as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Confront risks. However much you change, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, now is the time to have some sympathy for Bazball, to acknowledge its merits, of which there are many. What does it represent? Creating a sense of freedom. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with