Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments
England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "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 some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener'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 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.