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

The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.

But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.

Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."

Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory

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

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.

This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.

A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."

Pope's Place In Question

Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.

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

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.

However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."

"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.