Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate 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 media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.
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 played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate 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. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
