🔗 Share this article Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude". Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously. Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad. "I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader. But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks." "I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued. Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down. The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches. Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle. Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge. "It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game." Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon. Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435. This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests. A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss. The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each. Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won 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 we're staring down the barrel now." "There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued. "The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality." Pope's Place Under Scrutiny Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th. Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia. In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62. Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average. However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp." "We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank." "He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude". Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously. Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad. "I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader. But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks." "I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued. Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down. The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches. Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle. Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge. "It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game." Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon. Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435. This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests. A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss. The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each. Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won 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 we're staring down the barrel now." "There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued. "The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality." Pope's Place Under Scrutiny Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th. Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia. In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62. Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average. However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp." "We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank." "He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.