Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.
Before this match, 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 series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope 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 to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
