Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.

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

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.

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

Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.

A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.

The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

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

"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."

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

"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.

But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.