Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks
The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to this match, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 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 returned a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.