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The Life Cycle of a Movement can be marked by distinct phases.

1. The Core Concept

A dominant personality or figureheads present a new and transcendent idea that promises a cure for alienated and vulnerable people.

Thus we find ourselves. Preparations are underway to confront the system overseas. Tensions are rising. Smoke is rising from the out-houses. A lone figure, vulnerable, anxious, the slogan POSITIVE INTENT smeared across his chest as a statement, has come staggering from the field and is removed under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint elsewhere.

Do you recall the start, when the world was still young? The days of Bazball 1.0, of Bazball without brains.

2. Love-Bombing

Cult leaders guarantee a fresh beginning, a brighter tomorrow, love, success together united in belief in the philosophy.

What was this thing back then? Players celebrating feeling good. Ink. Strength. Jawlines. Elite male wellness energy. Admittedly, England’s players often say they don’t use the label, ironically as it’s denied, what was that spectacle?

But we know the concept. It’s the player playing a shot so outrageous it has to be pixelated. It’s the thrill of the captain at his peak, a demeanor suggesting: thoughtful warrior, strong features, natural look, truly contemporary you half-expect to notice and find him positioned at mid-off shirtless embracing nature.

It’s the batsman continuing to have permission speaking publicly, out there looking like a happy little woodland creature smartly dressed, expressing thoughts like we’re challenging norms. And yes, the energy, for quite a long time, was uplifting.

3. Expansion Period

Development stage. Togetherness strengthened through repetition of mantras. These ideas may seem irrational as a loyalty check.

Does anyone else feel? The backlash, the anger, the feeling of letdown post-defeat appears excessive, too much. The performance was poor during the match, as is typical there. They were savaged while bowling for a couple of hours as plans unraveled, outplayed by the batsman batting like England but better, responsive to the situation, an athlete shining with brilliance.

Currently, we see the attacks, the frustration, the sense of English Test cricket as a kind of abomination. The consensus is that losing isn’t enough, they must be humbled, to be cleansed, flame-throwered, overwhelmed through sheer skill of the bowler’s action, the low-fi orthodoxies of Scott Boland, seen enjoying his wickets humbly as if receiving a rewarding prize. What impact will this have?

4. Hate Bonding

Problems arise because of mistakes. Yet, mistakes are denied. It starts to feed on anger towards critics.

The fact remains, a few days before the next match, we have now reached a critical juncture in the lifespan of this movement. Victory is possible in the next Test in a blur of adrenal disruption. More likely, defeat could come swiftly. Should they fail it feels like we could be witnessing the decline.

Prior to that, there are two things to note regarding this. More than two years ago, at the start, of light and heat, I wrote an article calling it a phenomenon. There was outrage, which demonstrated because everyone knows a method to show something definitely isn’t a cult is if supporters send hundreds of furiously one-eyed messages rejecting criticism of the beliefs.

What has happened in the last few days are fascinating. Criticism of the approach is now the trend. We have a uniformly angry internet, angry English pundits, pictures of upset travelling fans cheated out of three days of cricket, similar to people wanting fairness.

Meanwhile, there is the broader context of the host’s complex deep-seated frustration with the aggressive tourists, stating, the methods you value and have honed as part of your identity from the opposition, it’s not serious in the end old boy.

This is the core issue. It’s all cults. The style was a trend as the game has its own culture. Or rather, the team has long been exclusive, a group, a garden party, an insular community with two hundred years of opaque and ritualistic cult history supporting it. It has long been where influence is guarded. It’s the imperial sport of England, the early image-makers. And notably, the nation has its own culture, a structure of hidden ranks, a royal family remains.

The players have been enclosed in this system since childhood. Seeking change, to create a less brutal environment, they are simply replicating their own experience, creating another a bubble, an exclusive group, but now with 15 cool guys and a mentor promoting authenticity if you fit the mold.

Focus on the moment. Confront risks. However much you change, you remain stuck.

Reflecting on this, it might be appropriate to have some sympathy for the approach, to appreciate its good points, of which there are many. How to define it? Promoting liberation. Questioning traditions. Batting aggressively|Attacking with