Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks
The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener made 85 on the fourth 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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England 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 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
