Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.
Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
