Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

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

The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes 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 "drift around" within the playing group.

"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.

But, 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 press with a pinch of salt," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

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

Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."

Australia Close of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.

This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.

A loss would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.

The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.

Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.

"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

But, the opener said any notion his teammate 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. "He has had a good year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.