🔗 Share this article Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude". Stokes made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month. Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad. "I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader. But, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that." "I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down. The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests. Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series. Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership. "It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game." Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon. Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435. Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests. Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss. The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each. The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century. "It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now." "There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added. "It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality." Pope's Position Under Scrutiny Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day. The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy. Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62. A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average. However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp." "We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank." "He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude". Stokes made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month. Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad. "I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader. But, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that." "I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down. The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests. Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series. Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership. "It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game." Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon. Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435. Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests. Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss. The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each. The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century. "It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now." "There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added. "It's been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality." Pope's Position Under Scrutiny Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day. The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy. Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62. A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average. However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp." "We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank." "He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.