Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.

"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.

But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.

Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."

The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.

Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.

The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.

"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Position In Question

Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."

"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.