Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Remarks
England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
