Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Comments
The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for 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 hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, 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.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
