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The Life Cycle of a Movement tends to be marked by distinct phases.

1. The Grand Vision

A charismatic leader or coaches introduce a revolutionary approach pledging a panacea for struggling players.

So here we are. They’re getting ready to storm the compound in Australia. Pressure is mounting. Signs of trouble appear from the sidelines. A lone figure, vulnerable, anxious, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET smeared across his chest as a symbol, has come staggering from the field and is being led away in secrecy for a temporary assignment at Derbyshire.

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

2. Love-Bombing

Cult leaders guarantee a reboot, optimism ahead, love, salvation together united in belief in the philosophy.

What did it represent initially? A team united enjoying success. Tattoos. Forearms. Focus. Elite male wellness energy. Admittedly, England’s players insist it’s not a real term, ironically because if it doesn’t exist, what did we see?

But we know the concept. It’s the batsman attempting a move so outrageous it defies description. It’s the excitement of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, an expression conveying: thoughtful warrior, strong features, natural look, so authentically Modern Savage you almost imagine to look down and find him positioned at mid-off bare-chested holding a fish.

It’s Ben Duckett continuing to have permission speaking publicly, out there looking like a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. And yes, the vibe, for a significant period, was entirely positive.

3. The Growth Phase

Building period. Cohesion maintained by rote learning of the cult’s slogans. These principles are often illogical as a loyalty check.

Does anyone else feel? The criticism, the outrage, the disappointment following the initial loss feels overblown, too much. The batting collapsed in Perth, as they often do in Australia. They were torn apart in the field for a couple of hours as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by Travis Head imitating their style effectively, adjusting to the pitch, a man playing with brilliance.

Now there is the pile-on, the anger, the perception of the team as a kind of abomination. The feeling seems to be that losing isn’t enough, they must be humbled, to be cleansed, flame-throwered, destroyed via traditional methods of the pace attack, the simple basics of Scott Boland, marking successes with a bashful smile similar to getting a pleasant gift. What will this do to them?

4. External Conflict

Issues emerge from failures in the plan. Yet, mistakes are denied. It starts to feed on hatred of the outside world.

The fact remains, half a week out the next match, we have now reached a critical juncture in the journey of this movement. England could quite easily win in the next Test through aggressive play. Probably, defeat could come swiftly. In case of defeat it appears we really might be entering the final stage.

Before that happens, several aspects to note on the topic. 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 was helpful as it’s known the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is should followers send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages objecting to the questioning of the philosophy.

The developments in the last few days are equally notable. It seems that hating Bazball is now the trend. Social media is furious, critical analysts, shots of angry middle-aged travelling fans disappointed by the short match, similar to investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, exists the larger scene of the host’s complex more culturally hard-wired exasperation towards the unconventional visitors, claiming, the methods you value and have honed to distinguish yourselves from others, well, it’s all a bit of a gag after all.

Here lies the truth. It’s all cults. Bazball was a cult as the game has its own culture. Or at least, the team has long been exclusive, a circle, an elite gathering, a restricted environment with centuries of ceremonial past defining it. Historically, this was a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the colonial game of England, the early image-makers. And guess what, the country is a phenomenon, a system of unknown levels, a place that literally still has a king.

The team have been enclosed in this system for years. In trying to escape from it, to foster positivity, they are just repeating their own experience, creating another a bubble, an exclusive group, however with a modern squad and a leader promoting authenticity as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Focus on the moment. Run towards the danger. However much you change, you’re always basically in the same place.

With this mind, now is the time to show understanding for the approach, to acknowledge its merits, that are numerous. What does it represent? Creating a sense of freedom. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with