Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments
The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes 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 asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.