🔗 Share this article Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men". The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month. Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group. "I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes. But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks." "I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind. The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests. Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series. Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge. "The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test." Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon. The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs. This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests. A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss. This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each. Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century. "This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point." "There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued. "It's 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 and have demonstrated their quality." Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th. The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy. Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62. Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average. However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp." "We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank." "He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.
The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men". The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month. Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group. "I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes. But, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks." "I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added. Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind. The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests. Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series. Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge. "The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test." Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon. The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs. This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests. A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss. This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each. Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century. "This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point." "There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued. "It's 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 and have demonstrated their quality." Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th. The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy. Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62. Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average. However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp." "We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank." "He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.