Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks
The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said 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 didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory 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 modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
