Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks
The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within 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 scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, 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 press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
