Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Remarks
The English opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, 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 a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.