Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments
England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain 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.
However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth 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 media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.
