Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

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

Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.

"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.

But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted 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 going into this Test."

The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan 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 notional total of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.

A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.

This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.

"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.