Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took 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" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll 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 were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
