Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks
England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 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 everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
