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

The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

Stokes delivered this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.

"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.

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

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently took a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.

Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."

The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

Crawley's wicket on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.

This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.

"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.