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

1. The Big Idea

A dominant personality or coaches propose an innovative concept pledging a cure for struggling players.

And so it goes. Plans are in motion to challenge the establishment down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Conflict emerges from the out-houses. A lone figure, exposed, shivering, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET displayed prominently in chicken blood, has stumbled through the lines and is being led away under a blanket for a temporary assignment in county cricket.

Remember the early days, when everything was fresh? The initial phase, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects promise a fresh beginning, a brighter tomorrow, support, redemption among a group united in belief in the big idea.

What did it represent back then? Players celebrating basking in glory. Tattoos. Strength. Determination. Elite male wellness energy. Of course, The team will claim it’s not a real term, which is funny because if it doesn’t exist, what did we see?

However, everyone understands the concept. It’s the player executing a stroke so unconventional it defies description. It’s the adrenaline of the captain at his peak, an expression conveying: thoughtful warrior, strong features, natural look, so authentically Modern Savage you half-expect to notice and find him positioned at mid-off bare-chested holding a fish.

It’s Ben Duckett continuing to have permission to talk in press conferences, appearing as a cheerful animal smartly dressed, saying stuff like we’re breaking down traditions. Certainly, the energy, initially, was entirely positive.

3. A New Life

Building period. Unity enforced via memorization of key phrases. These ideas may seem irrational as a loyalty check.

Is it just me? The backlash, the anger, the disappointment following the initial loss seems too strong, unwarranted. The performance was poor in Perth, as history shows. They were savaged defensively in a short span as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, manipulated by the opponent batting like England but better, adjusting to the pitch, a performer excelling with aura.

And now we have this the criticism, the rage, the sense of English Test cricket as a kind of abomination. The opinion suggests that losing isn’t enough, they should be dismantled, to be scoured, destroyed, overwhelmed via traditional methods of the bowler’s action, the simple basics of the veteran, marking achievements with a bashful smile like he’s just been given a nice new fishing rod. What will this do to them?

4. External Conflict

Challenges surface due to setbacks. However, faults are ignored. It begins to thrive on hostility externally.

The fact remains, a few days before from the second Test, we’ve entered a critical juncture in the story of this movement. They might succeed in the next Test with bold tactics. More likely, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it seems we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Before that happens, several aspects worth saying on the topic. In the past, at the start, of passion and hope, a column appeared labeling it a movement. There was outrage, which proved the point because everyone knows the best way of proving that it’s not a closed group is when its acolytes send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages objecting to the questioning of its truths.

Recent events recently are fascinating. It seems that hating Bazball is now the trend. We have a uniformly angry internet, disappointed commentators, shots of angry middle-aged travelling fans cheated out of three days of cricket, reminiscent of investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, there is the broader context of Australia’s more nuanced deep-seated frustration with the aggressive tourists, out there saying, the methods you value and have honed to distinguish yourselves from the opposition, it’s just a joke after all.

And this is the real point. Everything is a cult. Bazball was a cult because cricket is a cult. Or rather, the sport in England is closed, a group, a private event, a restricted environment with two hundred years of tradition and mystery defining it. It has long been where entry is limited. It’s the British pastime of the nation, the early image-makers. And guess what, the nation has its own culture, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

England’s cricketers have been isolated in this environment since childhood. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are mirroring their own experience, forming a new circle, a limited community, however with 15 cool guys and a coach promoting authenticity as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Run towards the danger. Despite efforts, you remain stuck.

With this mind, now is the time to show understanding for Bazball, to appreciate its good points, which are significant. What is Bazball? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with