Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.

But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, 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," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

Stokes made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.

Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."

Australia Close of Historic Series Victory

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

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.

Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.

This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."

"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.