🔗 Share this article

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

1. The Core Concept

A charismatic leader or coaches present an innovative concept offering a solution for struggling players.

And so it goes. They’re getting ready to storm the compound in Australia. Tensions are rising. Signs of trouble appear from within. An isolated player, naked, shivering, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT written on his body as a statement, has stumbled through the lines and is removed under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint in county cricket.

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

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Movement founders promise a fresh beginning, hope for a future, support, redemption together united in belief in the big idea.

How did it feel back then? A team united basking in glory. Body art. Strength. Jawlines. Elite male wellness energy. Of course, The team insist they don’t use the label, amusingly since it’s not recognized, what was that spectacle?

However, everyone understands the concept. It’s Harry Brook executing a stroke so unconventional it has to be pixelated. It’s the thrill of Ben Stokes at his peak, a demeanor suggesting: focused titan, strong features, untamed style, genuinely raw you wouldn’t be surprised to glance over and notice he’s fielding at mid-off stripped to the waist holding a fish.

It’s the batsman continuing to have permission to talk in press conferences, out there looking like a cheerful animal in a waistcoat, saying stuff like we’re breaking down traditions. Certainly, the vibe, for a significant period, was uplifting.

3. Expansion Period

Building period. Unity enforced via memorization of mantras. These ideas can appear contradictory as a loyalty check.

Is it just me? The backlash, the fury, the feeling of letdown following the initial loss seems too strong, too much. The batting collapsed during the match, as they often do in Australia. They were savaged while bowling for a couple of hours when tactics failed, carved around by the batsman batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, a man playing with brilliance.

Currently, we see the criticism, the frustration, the view of the sport as a failure. The consensus is that defeat must be total, they should be dismantled, to be cleansed, obliterated, overwhelmed by the vengeful purity of the bowler’s action, the conventional tactics of Scott Boland, out there celebrating his wickets humbly similar to getting a nice new fishing rod. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Problems arise due to setbacks. However, faults are ignored. It starts to feed on anger towards critics.

Ultimately, a few days before from the second Test, we are at an intriguing moment in the story of this movement. They might succeed overseas with bold tactics. Probably, they could lose just as quickly. In case of defeat it appears we may see the death cult phase.

Prior to that, several aspects to note about this. In the past, at the start, of passion and hope, a column appeared calling it a phenomenon. There was outrage, which demonstrated as it’s known the best way of proving something definitely isn’t a cult is should followers react defensively rejecting criticism of the philosophy.

The developments in the last few days are fascinating. Opposition to the style has turned into a movement. Social media is furious, angry English pundits, shots of angry middle-aged travelling fans cheated out of three days of cricket, reminiscent of investors demanding recourse.

Meanwhile, we have the wider backdrop of Australia’s more nuanced ingrained annoyance towards the unconventional visitors, claiming, your cherished traditions and have developed as part of your identity culturally from us, it’s just a joke after all.

Here lies the truth. It’s all cults. 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, a closed world with two hundred years of ceremonial past behind it. Historically, this was where entry is limited. It’s the British pastime of the British, the original sports washers. And surprisingly, Britain is itself a cult, a structure of hidden ranks, a royal family remains.

The players have been sealed up in this environment for years. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their own experience, building another enclosure, a limited community, but now with 15 cool guys and a leader encouraging individuality if you fit the mold.

Live where your feet are. Confront risks. Despite efforts, things stay similar.

Reflecting on this, it is perhaps the moment to have some sympathy for the approach, to appreciate its good points, that are numerous. How to define it? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with