Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side 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.
Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia 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 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.