🔗 Share this article

The Life Cycle of a Cult tends to be defined by distinct phases.

1. The Core Concept

A charismatic leader or coaches present a revolutionary approach pledging a cure for struggling players.

Thus we find ourselves. Preparations are underway to storm the compound overseas. Pressure is mounting. Smoke is rising from the out-houses. One individual, vulnerable, anxious, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET displayed prominently as a symbol, has emerged from the field and is taken aside under a blanket for a temporary assignment elsewhere.

Do you recall the start, when everything was fresh? The era of early Bazball, of Bazball without brains.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Movement founders offer a reboot, hope for a future, support, success among a group united in belief in the philosophy.

What was this thing at first? Players celebrating feeling good. Body art. Muscles. Focus. Confident masculinity. Oh sure, England’s players will claim they don’t use the label, amusingly because if it doesn’t exist, what did we see?

But we know its essence. It’s the batsman attempting a move so depraved it’s beyond belief. It’s the thrill of Ben Stokes at his peak, a demeanor suggesting: focused titan, rugged appearance, hair woven from beaver hide, truly contemporary you half-expect to notice and notice he’s fielding at mid-off stripped to the waist holding a fish.

It’s Ben Duckett still being allowed addressing the media, out there looking like a happy little woodland creature formally attired, expressing thoughts like we’re breaking down traditions. Certainly, the vibe, for quite a long time, was entirely positive.

3. A New Life

Growth phase. Cohesion maintained through repetition of key phrases. These beliefs may seem irrational to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The criticism, the outrage, the feeling of letdown following the initial loss feels overblown, too much. The performance was poor in Perth, as is typical there. They were torn apart defensively for a couple of hours as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, outplayed by the batsman batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, a man playing with aura.

Now there is the criticism, the rage, the view of the sport as a disgrace. The feeling seems to be that England don’t just need to lose, they must be humbled, to be scoured, obliterated, defeated through sheer skill of the bowler’s action, the conventional tactics of the veteran, marking successes with a bashful smile like he’s just been given a pleasant gift. What will this do to them?

4. The Backlash Phase

Problems arise because of mistakes. But the cult cannot admit errors. It begins to thrive on hostility externally.

The fact remains, a few days before the next match, we have now reached a critical juncture in the lifespan of this thing. Victory is possible overseas 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 final stage.

Ahead of this, a couple of points to consider about this. More than two years ago, at the start, of light and heat, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. Criticism followed, which proved the point as it’s known the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters respond with anger rejecting criticism of the philosophy.

Recent events recently is just as interesting. It seems that hating Bazball has turned into a movement. Social media is furious, angry English pundits, pictures of upset travelling fans disappointed by the short match, like a room full of people wanting fairness.

On the other hand, there is the broader context of the opponent’s mixed deep-seated frustration with the aggressive tourists, stating, the methods you value and have honed as one way of separating yourself culturally from us, well, it’s all a bit of a gag after all.

This is the core issue. All movements are similar. Bazball was a cult as the game has its own culture. In fact, the team has long been exclusive, a circle, a garden party, an insular community with two hundred years of opaque and ritualistic cult history behind it. This has always been where entry is limited. It’s the imperial sport of the nation, the early image-makers. And surprisingly, the country is a phenomenon, a structure of hidden ranks, a place that literally still has a king.

England’s cricketers have been sealed up within this world from a young age. In trying to escape from it, to create a less brutal environment, they are just repeating their past, building another enclosure, a closed circle, however with a modern squad and a leader who wants you to be yourself as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Run towards the danger. However much you change, things stay similar.

With this mind, now is the time to have some sympathy for the movement, to recognize its positives, which are significant. What is Bazball? Promoting liberation. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with