🔗 Share this article Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Comments The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men". The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously. Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad. "I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader. But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks." "I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down. The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests. Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle. Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge. "It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game." The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon. The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435. Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests. A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss. The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively. The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era. "It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now." "There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added. "It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why." Pope's Place Under Scrutiny While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th. Pope fell for 17 runs in the team'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 just 17.62. Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average. But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp." "The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest." "He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men". The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously. Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad. "I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader. But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks." "I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down. The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests. Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle. Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge. "It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game." The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon. The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435. Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests. A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss. The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively. The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era. "It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now." "There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added. "It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why." Pope's Place Under Scrutiny While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th. Pope fell for 17 runs in the team'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 just 17.62. Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average. But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp." "The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest." "He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.