Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Comments
England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
