Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks
The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
