Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks
England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.