Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.
