🔗 Share this article Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Comments England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude". The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously. Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad. "I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked 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 wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down. The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests. Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series. Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge. "The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test." Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon. Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435. This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played. Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss. The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively. The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia 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 facing elimination at this point." "There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued. "It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why." Pope's Place In Question Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day. Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia. Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62. A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average. However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team." "We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank." "He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude". The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously. Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad. "I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked 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 wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down. The team subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests. Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series. Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge. "The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test." Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon. Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435. This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played. Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss. The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively. The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia 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 facing elimination at this point." "There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued. "It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why." Pope's Place In Question Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day. Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia. Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62. A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average. However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team." "We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank." "He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.