Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments
The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell β including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself β meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run 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 β with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century β Amiss β has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" β referring to the press β "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 played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.
