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The Life Cycle of a Phenomenon is often defined by clear stages.

1. The Big Idea

A dominant personality or leaders present a new and transcendent idea pledging a panacea for disconnected individuals.

Thus we find ourselves. They’re getting ready to challenge the establishment down in Brisbane. Tensions are rising. Smoke is rising from the sidelines. An isolated player, naked, shivering, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT smeared across his chest as a symbol, has come staggering through the lines and is taken aside with discretion to a different team at Derbyshire.

Remember the start, when optimism reigned? The era of early Bazball, of Bazball without brains.

2. Initial Adoration

Movement founders guarantee a reboot, optimism ahead, support, salvation within a community who all believe in the big idea.

How did it feel initially? A team united enjoying success. Body art. Forearms. Jawlines. Peak performance vibes. Of course, England’s players will claim Bazball doesn’t actually exist, amusingly because if it doesn’t exist, what exactly did I just watch?

However, everyone understands its essence. It’s Harry Brook attempting a move so unconventional it defies description. It’s the excitement of the leader at his peak, a demeanor suggesting: pensive Nordic god, beard made of wood, untamed style, truly contemporary you wouldn’t be surprised to look down and find him positioned on the ground shirtless and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the opener continuing to have permission addressing the media, resembling a cheerful animal formally attired, saying stuff like we’re breaking down traditions. Indeed, the energy, for quite a long time, was entirely positive.

3. A New Life

Development stage. Togetherness strengthened through repetition of the cult’s slogans. These principles can appear contradictory as a test of “true belief”.

Does anyone else feel? The reaction, the outrage, the sense of betrayal following the initial loss appears excessive, unwarranted. The performance was poor on the field, as is typical there. They were dominated defensively in a short span as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, carved around by Travis Head imitating their style effectively, adjusting to the pitch, an athlete shining with a kind of light around him.

Currently, we see the attacks, the frustration, the perception of the team as a kind of abomination. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they must be humbled, to be cleansed, destroyed, destroyed via traditional methods of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of the veteran, seen enjoying achievements modestly like he’s just been given a pleasant gift. What impact will this have?

4. Hate Bonding

Issues emerge from failures in the plan. But the cult cannot admit errors. It begins to thrive on hostility externally.

In truth, half a week out the next match, we have now reached an intriguing moment in the lifespan of this approach. England could quite easily win overseas with bold tactics. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it appears we could be witnessing the final stage.

Prior to that, there are two things worth saying regarding this. In the past, at the start, of light and heat, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. People were very angry, which demonstrated because everyone knows the best way of proving lack of cult status is when its acolytes respond with anger objecting to the questioning of the philosophy.

The developments lately are fascinating. It seems that hating Bazball has now become the cult. We have a uniformly angry internet, angry English pundits, pictures of upset followers overseas cheated out of three days of cricket, similar to people wanting fairness.

Meanwhile, we have the wider backdrop of Australia’s more nuanced more culturally hard-wired exasperation at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, out there saying, your cherished traditions and have fostered and nurtured to distinguish yourselves from others, it’s just a joke after all.

Here lies the truth. All movements are similar. The approach was a phenomenon because cricket is a cult. Or at least, the team has long been exclusive, a circle, an elite gathering, a restricted environment with centuries of opaque and ritualistic cult history behind it. It has long been a place where power and access are hoarded. It’s the British pastime of the nation, the pioneering brand. And guess what, the nation has its own culture, a structure of hidden ranks, a monarchy still exists.

The team have been enclosed within this world for years. In trying to escape from it, to build a better atmosphere, they are just repeating their upbringing, building another enclosure, a closed circle, but doing it this time with a new team and a leader who wants you to be yourself as long as yourself is quite a lot like myself.

Stay present. Embrace challenges. Despite efforts, things stay similar.

With this mind, it is perhaps the moment to show understanding for the movement, to recognize its positives, that are numerous. What is Bazball? Creating a sense of freedom. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with