Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments
England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance 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.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.
