🔗 Share this article Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Comments England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude". Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month. Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group. "I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes. However, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks." "I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down. The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches. Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle. Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership. "The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game." The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon. Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435. This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played. Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss. The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively. The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era. "This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now." "There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued. "It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality." Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th. The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy. In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62. Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average. But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team." "We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest." "He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude". Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month. Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group. "I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes. However, after Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks." "I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down. The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches. Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle. Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership. "The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game." The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon. Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435. This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played. Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss. The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively. The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era. "This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now." "There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued. "It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality." Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th. The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy. In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62. Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average. But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team." "We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest." "He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.