🔗 Share this article Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men". The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month. Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad. "I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader. But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that." "I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down. The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests. Prior to this match, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle. Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge. "It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game." The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon. Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435. Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests. A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss. The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively. The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century. "This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point." "There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added. "The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why." Ollie Pope's Place In Question While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th. The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy. Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62. A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average. But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp." "The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank." "He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men". The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month. Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad. "I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader. But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that." "I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down. The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests. Prior to this match, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle. Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge. "It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game." The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon. Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435. Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests. A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss. The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively. The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century. "This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point." "There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added. "The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why." Ollie Pope's Place In Question While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th. The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy. Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62. A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average. But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp." "The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank." "He has played some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.