Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".

Stokes made this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.

"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.

But, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

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

Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.

This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.

Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.

This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."

"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.