Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.

But, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.

This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Pope's Place In Question

Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, 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.

A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.

However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.