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

1. The Big Idea

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

So here we are. Plans are in motion to challenge the establishment in Australia. Pressure is mounting. Signs of trouble appear from the sidelines. An isolated player, exposed, nervous, the phrase ATTACKING MINDSET written on his body in chicken blood, has stumbled from the field and is taken aside under a blanket for a temporary assignment at Derbyshire.

Do you ever miss the early days, when optimism reigned? The era of early Bazball, of Bazball without brains.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects offer a new start, optimism ahead, support, salvation among a group with shared faith in the philosophy.

What was this thing initially? A team united enjoying success. Tattoos. Muscles. Jawlines. Confident masculinity. Admittedly, England’s players insist it’s not a real term, amusingly as it’s denied, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear its essence. It’s Harry Brook playing a shot so depraved it’s beyond belief. It’s the excitement of Ben Stokes in his final form, an expression conveying: focused titan, beard made of wood, natural look, so authentically Modern Savage you wouldn’t be surprised to glance over and notice he’s fielding at mid-off bare-chested and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the batsman continuing to have permission to talk in press conferences, appearing as a happy little woodland creature formally attired, saying stuff like we’re challenging norms. Indeed, the energy, initially, was uplifting.

3. A New Life

Development stage. Cohesion maintained via memorization of mantras. These principles may seem irrational to prove commitment.

Is it just me? The criticism, the fury, the sense of betrayal following the initial loss seems too strong, too much. England batted badly on the field, as history shows. They were dominated while bowling for a couple of hours as the bowling and captaincy fell apart, manipulated by Travis Head batting like England but better, adaptive to conditions, a performer excelling with brilliance.

Now there is the criticism, the frustration, the view of the sport as a disgrace. The consensus is that England don’t just need to lose, they need to lose righteously, to be purged, obliterated, destroyed by the vengeful purity of the pace attack, the conventional tactics of Scott Boland, seen enjoying his wickets with a bashful smile similar to getting a pleasant gift. What will this do to them?

4. The Backlash Phase

Problems arise from failures in the plan. However, faults are ignored. It starts to feed on hatred of the outside world.

Ultimately, half a week out from the second Test, we have now reached a delicious point of tension in the story of this thing. They might succeed in the next Test with bold tactics. Probably, failure may follow. Should they fail it appears we may see the decline.

Ahead of this, several aspects to consider regarding this. More than two years ago, during the initial excitement, of light and heat, a column appeared suggesting Bazball was a cult. People were very angry, which was helpful since it’s clear a method to show lack of cult status is when its acolytes react defensively denying scrutiny of the beliefs.

Recent events lately are fascinating. Opposition to the style is now the trend. We have a uniformly angry internet, angry English pundits, pictures of upset followers overseas cheated out of three days of cricket, reminiscent of timeshare owners seeking justice.

Meanwhile, we have the wider backdrop of Australia’s more nuanced ingrained annoyance at these weirdly passive-aggressive buccaneers, out there saying, the methods you value and have honed to distinguish yourselves from others, it’s just a joke after all.

Here lies the truth. Everything is a cult. The style was a trend as the game has its own culture. In fact, English cricket has always been a cult, a clique, a garden party, an insular community with two hundred years of opaque and ritualistic cult history behind it. It has long been where entry is limited. It’s the British pastime of the British, the early image-makers. And surprisingly, Britain is itself a cult, a system of unknown levels, a place that literally still has a king.

The players have been sealed up in this environment since childhood. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are just repeating their upbringing, creating another a bubble, a closed circle, but now with a new team and a mentor encouraging individuality provided you conform.

Focus on the moment. Run towards the danger. However much you change, things stay similar.

With this mind, it is perhaps the moment to offer compassion for the approach, to acknowledge its merits, which are significant. How to define it? Promoting liberation. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with