Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. 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 wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
Although 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 fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed 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 amongst the players," Crawley finished.