🔗 Share this article Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Comments The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men". The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month. In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad. "I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes. However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind. The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests. Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle. Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge. "It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game." The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon. The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs. Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests. A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss. The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each. Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era. "It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point." "There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued. "The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality." Ollie Pope's Place In Question While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th. Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia. Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62. Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average. But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp." "The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest." "He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men". The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month. In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad. "I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes. However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "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. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind. The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests. Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle. Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge. "It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game." The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon. The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs. Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests. A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss. The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each. Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era. "It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point." "There remains significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued. "The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality." Ollie Pope's Place In Question While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th. Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia. Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62. Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average. But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp." "The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest." "He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.