Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
