Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Comments
England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
