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The Life Cycle of a Phenomenon is often defined by distinct phases.

1. The Big Idea

A dominant personality or figureheads propose a revolutionary approach pledging a solution for alienated and vulnerable people.

And so it goes. Preparations are underway to storm the compound down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Smoke is rising from the out-houses. One individual, vulnerable, nervous, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT smeared across his chest in chicken blood, has stumbled into view and is being led away in secrecy for a temporary assignment elsewhere.

Do you recall the beginning, when optimism reigned? The initial phase, of Bazball without brains.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects guarantee a fresh beginning, hope for a future, support, success together with shared faith in the big idea.

What was this thing initially? Players celebrating enjoying success. Body art. Forearms. Jawlines. Elite male wellness energy. Oh sure, The team will claim they don’t use the label, which is funny as it’s denied, what was that spectacle?

Yet it’s clear what it is. It’s Harry Brook playing a shot so depraved it has to be pixelated. It’s the adrenaline of the captain in ultimate mode, a look that says: focused titan, rugged appearance, hair woven from beaver hide, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to glance over and find him positioned at mid-off bare-chested embracing nature.

It’s the opener often seen to talk in press conferences, resembling a cheerful animal in a waistcoat, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Indeed, the energy, initially, was uplifting.

3. Expansion Period

Growth phase. Cohesion maintained via memorization of key phrases. These ideas are often illogical as a loyalty check.

Is it just me? The backlash, the anger, the disappointment following the initial loss feels overblown, too much. The performance was poor during the match, as is typical there. They were savaged defensively in a short span when tactics failed, carved around by Travis Head batting like England but better, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with a kind of light around him.

And now we have this the pile-on, the rage, the sense of English Test cricket as a failure. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they must be humbled, to be scoured, obliterated, defeated by the vengeful purity of the pace attack, the conventional tactics of the veteran, marking his wickets humbly similar to getting a rewarding prize. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Problems arise because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It begins to thrive on hatred of the outside world.

In truth, half a week out the next match, we have now reached a delicious point of tension in the story of this movement. They might succeed in Brisbane in a blur of adrenal disruption. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it seems we may see the death cult phase.

Ahead of this, there are two things to note regarding this. More than two years ago, at the start, of optimism and energy, a column appeared calling it a phenomenon. People were very angry, which was helpful because everyone knows how to confirm that it’s not a closed group is when its acolytes react defensively objecting to the questioning of its truths.

The developments recently is just as interesting. It seems that hating Bazball has turned into a movement. We have a uniformly angry internet, critical analysts, pictures of upset travelling fans missing out on play, reminiscent of people wanting fairness.

Conversely, we have the wider backdrop of the opponent’s mixed deep-seated frustration towards the unconventional visitors, out there saying, hey, that thing you love and have honed as one way of separating yourself from others, well, it’s all a bit of a gag in the end old boy.

And this is the real point. Everything is a cult. Bazball was a cult as the game has its own culture. Or rather, the team has long been exclusive, a group, a garden party, a restricted environment with centuries of opaque and ritualistic cult history defining it. Historically, this was where entry is limited. It’s the colonial game of England, the original sports washers. And guess what, the country is a phenomenon, a series of esoteric hierarchies, a monarchy still exists.

The players have been isolated within this world for years. In trying to escape from it, to foster positivity, they are simply replicating their upbringing, building another enclosure, a closed circle, however with 15 cool guys and a leader promoting authenticity if you fit the mold.

Live where your feet are. Confront risks. But no matter how fast and far you run, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, it is perhaps the moment to have some sympathy for the movement, to acknowledge its merits, which are significant. What is Bazball? Creating a sense of freedom. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with