Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
