Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.
This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.
