🔗 Share this article Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude". Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously. Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group. "I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes. However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks." "I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added. Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind. The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third matches. Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series. Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership. "The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this Test." Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon. Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs. Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played. Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss. This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively. Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era. "It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now." "There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued. "The challenge has been tough. 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." Pope's Place In Question Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day. The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia. Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62. A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average. But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp." "We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest." "He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude". Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously. Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group. "I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes. However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks." "I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added. Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind. The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third matches. Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series. Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership. "The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this Test." Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon. Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs. Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played. Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss. This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively. Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era. "It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now." "There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued. "The challenge has been tough. 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." Pope's Place In Question Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day. The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia. Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62. A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average. But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp." "We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest." "He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.