Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in several interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
However, following the opener scored a knock of 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," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
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 team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.