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

England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".

Stokes made this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.

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

But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.

Before this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

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

The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.

This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."

"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.

"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners 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 short-term future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," said 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 of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.