Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks
England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes made this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.
But, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches 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 decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place In Question
Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future 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 Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning 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 several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.