🔗 Share this article

The Life Cycle of a Cult tends to be characterized by specific steps.

1. The Core Concept

A charismatic leader or leaders propose a new and transcendent idea that promises a solution for struggling players.

So here we are. They’re getting ready to confront the system in Australia. The gunships are circling. Signs of trouble appear from the out-houses. An isolated player, vulnerable, anxious, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT written on his body as a symbol, has stumbled into view and is taken aside with discretion for a temporary assignment in county cricket.

Remember the early days, when optimism reigned? The days of Bazball 1.0, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Cult leaders promise a fresh beginning, optimism ahead, love, salvation among a group who all believe in the big idea.

What was this thing back then? Players celebrating basking in glory. Body art. Strength. Focus. Peak performance vibes. Of course, The team often say they don’t use the label, ironically as it’s denied, what exactly did I just watch?

Yet it’s clear what it is. It’s the player executing a stroke so unconventional it’s beyond belief. It’s the adrenaline of Ben Stokes at his peak, a look that says: focused titan, beard made of wood, untamed style, truly contemporary you almost imagine to glance over and find him positioned in the field shirtless holding a fish.

It’s the opener often seen addressing the media, resembling a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, uttering phrases such as we are actively deconstructing the orange. And yes, the energy, for a significant period, was entirely positive.

3. Expansion Period

Growth phase. Cohesion maintained through repetition of key phrases. These principles are often illogical as a loyalty check.

Am I alone? The backlash, the anger, the sense of betrayal after the first Ashes Test defeat seems too strong, too much. The batting collapsed during the match, as they often do in Australia. They were dominated defensively in a short span when tactics failed, carved around by the opponent playing aggressively but smarter, responsive to the situation, a performer excelling with aura.

Now there is the attacks, the frustration, the sense of English Test cricket as a disgrace. The consensus is that defeat must be total, they should be dismantled, to be scoured, obliterated, overwhelmed through sheer skill of the bowler’s action, the conventional tactics of the veteran, out there celebrating successes modestly similar to getting a pleasant gift. How will they respond?

4. The Backlash Phase

Challenges surface because of mistakes. But the cult cannot admit errors. It starts to feed on hatred of the outside world.

Ultimately, a few days before the upcoming game, we have now reached a critical juncture in the story of this approach. England could quite easily win in the next Test through aggressive play. Alternatively, they could lose just as quickly. And if they do lose it seems we really might be entering the death cult phase.

Ahead of this, there are two things worth saying about this. Previously, back in those heady early days, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. There was outrage, which demonstrated because everyone knows how to confirm something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters react defensively objecting to the questioning of its truths.

What has happened recently are equally notable. Criticism of the approach has now become the cult. We have a uniformly angry internet, critical analysts, shots of angry middle-aged supporters abroad disappointed by the short match, like a room full of timeshare owners seeking justice.

Conversely, we have the wider backdrop of Australia’s more nuanced more culturally hard-wired exasperation with the aggressive tourists, claiming, your cherished traditions and have developed to distinguish yourselves from others, it’s not serious ultimately.

And this is the real point. All movements are similar. The approach was a phenomenon as the game has its own culture. Or at least, the sport in England is closed, a clique, an elite gathering, a closed world with two hundred years of opaque and ritualistic cult history defining it. It has long been where influence is guarded. It’s the British pastime of the British, the pioneering brand. And guess what, the nation has its own culture, a structure of hidden ranks, a royal family remains.

The players have been sealed up within this world from a young age. Seeking change, to foster positivity, they are mirroring their upbringing, creating another a bubble, a closed circle, but doing it this time with a modern squad and a leader encouraging individuality if you fit the mold.

Focus on the moment. Embrace challenges. Despite efforts, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, it might be appropriate to have some sympathy for the movement, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. How to define it? Encouraging expression. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with