🔗 Share this article Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Remarks England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude". The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month. Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad. "I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes. But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that." "I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down. The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests. Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle. Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge. "It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test." The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon. Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435. This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played. Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss. This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively. Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century. "It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point." "There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued. "It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality." Ollie Pope's Position In Question Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th. The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia. In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62. Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average. But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp." "The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest." "He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude". The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month. Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad. "I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes. But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that." "I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down. The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests. Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle. Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge. "It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test." The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon. Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435. This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played. Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss. This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively. Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century. "It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point." "There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued. "It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality." Ollie Pope's Position In Question Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th. The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia. In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62. Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average. But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp." "The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest." "He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.