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The Life Cycle of a Cult can be defined by specific steps.

1. The Grand Vision

An inspiring figure or coaches introduce a revolutionary approach that promises a solution for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. Plans are in motion to confront the system down in Brisbane. Pressure is mounting. Signs of trouble appear from the out-houses. One individual, vulnerable, anxious, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET smeared across his chest as a symbol, has come staggering into view and is being led away in secrecy to a different team elsewhere.

Do you ever miss the start, when the world was still young? The era of early Bazball, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders guarantee a fresh beginning, hope for a future, love, redemption together with shared faith in the big idea.

What was this thing at first? Just men on a balcony feeling good. Tattoos. Muscles. Focus. Confident masculinity. Oh sure, England’s players will claim they don’t use the label, ironically because if it doesn’t exist, what was that spectacle?

But we know the concept. It’s the player attempting a move so depraved it’s beyond belief. It’s the excitement of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, a demeanor suggesting: pensive Nordic god, strong features, natural look, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to notice and see him playing at mid-off bare-chested embracing nature.

It’s Ben Duckett still being allowed to talk in press conferences, resembling a happy little woodland creature formally attired, uttering phrases such as we’re breaking down traditions. And yes, the energy, for a significant period, was entirely positive.

3. A New Life

Growth phase. Togetherness strengthened by rote learning of key phrases. These beliefs may seem irrational as a loyalty check.

Does anyone else feel? The backlash, the outrage, the disappointment after the first Ashes Test defeat feels overblown, unwarranted. The batting collapsed in Perth, as they often do in Australia. They were torn apart in the field during a brief period when tactics failed, outplayed by the opponent playing aggressively but smarter, adjusting to the pitch, a man playing with brilliance.

Now there is the pile-on, the rage, the perception of the team as a failure. The opinion suggests that England don’t just need to lose, they must be humbled, to be purged, obliterated, defeated through sheer skill of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the low-fi orthodoxies of Scott Boland, marking his wickets modestly as if receiving a rewarding prize. How will they respond?

4. The Backlash Phase

Issues emerge because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It turns to anger towards critics.

In truth, half a week out the next match, we have now reached a critical juncture in the story of this thing. They might succeed in the next Test with bold tactics. More likely, failure may follow. And if they do lose it seems we really might be entering the final stage.

Ahead of this, there are two things to note about this. In the past, back in those heady early days, of passion and hope, I wrote an article suggesting Bazball was a cult. Criticism followed, which proved the point as it’s known how to confirm something definitely isn’t a cult is when its acolytes send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages rejecting criticism of the philosophy.

The developments lately are equally notable. It seems that hating Bazball has turned into a movement. Social media is furious, angry English pundits, images of frustrated supporters abroad cheated out of three days of cricket, like a room full of people wanting fairness.

Conversely, there is the broader context of the host’s complex deep-seated frustration at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, out there saying, your cherished traditions and have fostered and nurtured as part of your identity from others, it’s not serious after all.

This is the core issue. It’s all cults. The style was a trend as the game has its own culture. In fact, English cricket has always been a cult, a circle, an elite gathering, a restricted environment with centuries of opaque and ritualistic cult history supporting it. This has always been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the imperial sport of the nation, the original sports washers. And guess what, the nation has its own culture, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been isolated in this system for years. Attempting to break free, to foster positivity, they are simply replicating their past, creating another a bubble, a limited community, but doing it this time with a modern squad and a coach who wants you to be yourself provided you conform.

Live where your feet are. Run towards the danger. But no matter how fast and far you run, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, now is the time to offer compassion for the movement, to acknowledge its merits, that are numerous. How to define it? Creating a sense of freedom. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with