Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks
The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide 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.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.