Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Remarks
The English opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"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 very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
