🔗 Share this article

The Life Cycle of a Phenomenon can be defined by distinct phases.

1. The Core Concept

A dominant personality or leaders propose a new and transcendent idea offering a panacea for struggling players.

Thus we find ourselves. Preparations are underway to challenge the establishment in Australia. Pressure is mounting. Conflict emerges from the out-houses. An isolated player, exposed, nervous, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT displayed prominently in chicken blood, has stumbled through the lines and is being led away with discretion towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

Remember the beginning, when the world was still young? The initial phase, of uninhibited aggression.

2. The Honeymoon Phase

Team architects offer a reboot, hope for a future, camaraderie, salvation among a group united in belief in the big idea.

How did it feel at first? Players celebrating basking in glory. Tattoos. Strength. Determination. Elite male wellness energy. Oh sure, The squad will claim it’s not a real term, ironically since it’s not recognized, what exactly did I just watch?

But we know the concept. It’s the player executing a stroke so outrageous it’s beyond belief. It’s the adrenaline of the leader in ultimate mode, a demeanor suggesting: thoughtful warrior, beard made of wood, hair woven from beaver hide, truly contemporary you wouldn’t be surprised to look down and find him positioned in the field bare-chested and cradling a wild salmon.

It’s the batsman still being allowed addressing the media, out there looking like a cheerful animal formally attired, saying stuff like we are actively deconstructing the orange. Indeed, the atmosphere, for quite a long time, was entirely positive.

3. The Growth Phase

Growth phase. Togetherness strengthened via memorization of the cult’s slogans. These principles may seem irrational as a test of “true belief”.

Am I alone? The backlash, the fury, the sense of betrayal post-defeat feels overblown, unwarranted. The batting collapsed in Perth, as they often do in Australia. They were savaged defensively for a couple of hours when tactics failed, outplayed by the batsman playing aggressively but smarter, adaptive to conditions, an athlete shining with a kind of light around him.

And now we have this the attacks, the frustration, the perception of the team as a disgrace. The opinion suggests that England don’t just need to lose, they must be humbled, to be scoured, destroyed, destroyed by the vengeful purity of the pace attack, the low-fi orthodoxies of Scott Boland, marking successes modestly like he’s just been given a rewarding prize. What impact will this have?

4. The Backlash Phase

Problems arise due to setbacks. However, faults are ignored. It turns to hatred of the outside world.

In truth, a few days before the next match, we’ve entered an intriguing moment in the lifespan of this movement. Victory is possible in Brisbane through aggressive play. Alternatively, they could lose just as quickly. Should they fail it appears we could be witnessing the final stage.

Ahead of this, several aspects to note on the topic. More than two years ago, at the start, of optimism and energy, 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 rejecting criticism of its truths.

The developments in the last few days is just as interesting. Criticism of the approach has turned into a movement. Social media is furious, angry English pundits, shots of angry middle-aged travelling fans disappointed by the short match, reminiscent of people wanting fairness.

Conversely, there is the broader context of Australia’s more nuanced more culturally hard-wired exasperation towards the unconventional visitors, out there saying, your cherished traditions and have honed to distinguish yourselves from the opposition, it’s just a joke after all.

And this is the real point. It’s all cults. Bazball was a cult as the game has its own culture. Or at least, the team has long been exclusive, a clique, a garden party, a restricted environment with two hundred years of ceremonial past defining it. Historically, this was where influence is guarded. It’s the colonial game of England, the early image-makers. And notably, the country is a phenomenon, a structure of hidden ranks, a place that literally still has a king.

The players have been isolated in this environment from a young age. In trying to escape from it, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their own experience, forming a new circle, a limited community, but now with 15 cool guys and a coach promoting authenticity if you fit the mold.

Stay present. Embrace challenges. However much you change, you’re always basically in the same place.

Considering this, it is perhaps the moment to have some sympathy for the approach, to appreciate its good points, which are significant. What does it represent? Encouraging expression. Defying norms. Batting aggressively|Attacking with