Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians 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 let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "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."
Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory
The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
