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The Life Cycle of a Phenomenon is often characterized by specific steps.

1. The Grand Vision

A charismatic leader or coaches propose a revolutionary approach that promises a cure for alienated and vulnerable people.

Thus we find ourselves. Plans are in motion to confront the system down in Brisbane. Pressure is mounting. Smoke is rising from within. One individual, exposed, anxious, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET written on his body in chicken blood, has come staggering into view and is taken aside in secrecy to a different team elsewhere.

Remember the early days, when optimism reigned? The days of Bazball 1.0, of Bazball without brains.

2. Love-Bombing

Movement founders guarantee a new start, optimism ahead, support, redemption together with shared faith in the big idea.

What did it represent back then? Players celebrating feeling good. Body art. Muscles. Jawlines. Elite male wellness energy. Of course, England’s players will claim Bazball doesn’t actually exist, which is funny as it’s denied, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear the concept. It’s the batsman playing a shot so unconventional it’s beyond belief. It’s the adrenaline of Ben Stokes in ultimate mode, a demeanor suggesting: focused titan, strong features, hair woven from beaver hide, genuinely raw you half-expect to glance over and notice he’s fielding on the ground bare-chested embracing nature.

It’s Ben Duckett often seen addressing the media, out there looking like a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, uttering phrases such as we’re challenging norms. Certainly, the energy, for quite a long time, was only good energy.

3. Expansion Period

Development stage. Cohesion maintained through repetition of the cult’s slogans. These ideas can appear contradictory as a test of “true belief”.

Am I alone? The reaction, the anger, the sense of betrayal following the initial loss seems too strong, overdone. The performance was poor on the field, as is typical there. They were dominated in the field during a brief period when tactics failed, carved around by the opponent imitating their style effectively, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with a kind of light around him.

Currently, we see the pile-on, the rage, the view of the sport as a kind of abomination. The opinion suggests that defeat must be total, they must be humbled, to be cleansed, obliterated, overwhelmed via traditional methods of Mitchell Starc’s movements, the simple basics of Scott Boland, marking successes modestly like he’s just been given a rewarding prize. What will this do to them?

4. Hate Bonding

Issues emerge from failures in the plan. Yet, mistakes are denied. It starts to feed on hostility externally.

In truth, approaching the next match, we’ve entered a critical juncture in the journey of this movement. They might succeed overseas through aggressive play. Alternatively, defeat could come swiftly. Should they fail it seems we may see the death cult phase.

Before that happens, a couple of points to consider regarding this. In the past, at the start, of optimism and energy, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. Criticism followed, which was helpful as it’s known a method to show something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages rejecting criticism of the philosophy.

The developments recently are fascinating. Opposition to the style has turned into a movement. Online outrage is widespread, disappointed commentators, pictures of upset travelling fans missing out on play, similar to people wanting fairness.

On the other hand, we have the wider backdrop of the host’s complex deep-seated frustration at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, stating, your cherished traditions and have fostered and nurtured to distinguish yourselves culturally from us, well, it’s all a bit of a gag ultimately.

Here lies the truth. Everything is a cult. The style was a trend since the sport itself is insular. In fact, the team has long been exclusive, a clique, a garden party, a closed world with centuries of tradition and mystery supporting it. This has always been where entry is limited. It’s the imperial sport of the nation, the original sports washers. And notably, the nation has its own culture, a structure of hidden ranks, a place that literally still has a king.

England’s cricketers have been isolated in this environment from a young age. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are just repeating their own experience, creating another a bubble, an exclusive group, however with 15 cool guys and a coach who wants you to be yourself as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Stay present. Confront risks. But no matter how fast and far you run, you’re always basically in the same place.

With this mind, now is the time to have some sympathy for the movement, to recognize its positives, which are significant. How to define it? Promoting liberation. Challenging orthodoxies. Batting aggressively|Attacking with