🔗 Share this article Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude". Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month. In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad. "I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader. However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks." "I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued. Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down. The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches. Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series. Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge. "It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test." The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon. The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435. This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests. A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss. This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively. Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era. "This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point." "There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued. "It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why." Pope's Place In Question Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day. Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia. In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62. Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings 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 "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp." "The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest." "He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude". Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month. In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad. "I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader. However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks." "I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued. Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down. The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches. Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series. Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge. "It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test." The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon. The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435. This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests. A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss. This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively. Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era. "This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point." "There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," he continued. "It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why." Pope's Place In Question Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day. Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia. In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62. Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings 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 "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp." "The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest." "He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.