Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".

Stokes delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.

However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"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.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this Test."

Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.

Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.

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

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.