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

1. The Big Idea

A charismatic leader or figureheads present a new and transcendent idea that promises a panacea for struggling players.

So here we are. Plans are in motion to storm the compound overseas. Pressure is mounting. Smoke is rising from the sidelines. An isolated player, exposed, nervous, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET smeared across his chest in chicken blood, has stumbled through the lines and is being led away in secrecy to a different team in county cricket.

Do you ever miss the early days, when the world was still young? The era of early Bazball, of pure instinct.

2. Initial Adoration

Movement founders guarantee a new start, optimism ahead, camaraderie, success within a community who all believe in the philosophy.

What did it represent initially? Players celebrating enjoying success. Ink. Muscles. Focus. Confident masculinity. Oh sure, The team insist they don’t use the label, amusingly as it’s denied, what exactly did I just watch?

But we know what it is. It’s the player attempting a move so outrageous it’s beyond belief. It’s the excitement of Ben Stokes in his final form, an expression conveying: focused titan, beard made of wood, hair woven from beaver hide, truly contemporary you almost imagine to notice and notice he’s fielding at mid-off bare-chested embracing nature.

It’s the batsman often seen to talk in press conferences, resembling a cheerful animal formally attired, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. Indeed, the energy, initially, was uplifting.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Cohesion maintained through repetition of the cult’s slogans. These beliefs are often illogical to prove commitment.

Am I alone? The reaction, the fury, the sense of betrayal post-defeat appears excessive, unwarranted. The batting collapsed on the field, as is typical there. They were savaged in the field during a brief period when tactics failed, outplayed by Travis Head playing aggressively but smarter, responsive to the situation, a man playing with a kind of light around him.

And now we have this the criticism, the frustration, the sense of English Test cricket as a kind of abomination. The opinion suggests that defeat must be total, they must be humbled, to be cleansed, obliterated, destroyed via traditional methods of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of Scott Boland, seen enjoying successes humbly like he’s just been given a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. Hate Bonding

Issues emerge because of mistakes. But the cult cannot admit errors. It starts to feed on hostility externally.

The fact remains, half a week out the next match, we have now reached a delicious point of tension in the lifespan of this movement. Victory is possible in Brisbane with bold tactics. More likely, failure may follow. In case of defeat it feels like we could be witnessing the decline.

Ahead of this, there are two things to consider on the topic. In the past, during the initial excitement, of passion and hope, I wrote an article suggesting Bazball was a cult. There was outrage, which proved the point as it’s known the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is should followers react defensively objecting to the questioning of the philosophy.

Recent events lately are equally notable. Criticism of the approach is now the trend. Social media is furious, angry English pundits, images of frustrated followers overseas disappointed by the short match, like a room full of investors demanding recourse.

On the other hand, exists the larger scene of the host’s complex deep-seated frustration towards the unconventional visitors, claiming, hey, that thing you love and have fostered and nurtured as one way of separating yourself from the opposition, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. Bazball was a cult because cricket is a cult. In fact, the team has long been exclusive, a circle, a private event, a closed world with a long history of ceremonial past defining it. Historically, this was where influence is guarded. It’s the British pastime of the nation, the early image-makers. And notably, Britain is itself a cult, a system of unknown levels, a royal family remains.

The players have been sealed up in this system from a young age. Attempting to break free, to create a less brutal environment, they are just repeating their own experience, building another enclosure, a closed circle, but now with 15 cool guys and a leader who wants you to be yourself as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Live where your feet are. Run towards the danger. Despite efforts, things stay similar.

Considering this, now is the time to offer compassion for the movement, to acknowledge its merits, that are numerous. How to define it? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with