Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks

The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".

Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.

"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.

However, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

The team afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.

Before this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."

Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.

This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.

Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.

The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel 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 always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place In Question

Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

But, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.