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

The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.

However, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" 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 asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this Test."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.

Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing 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 outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.

A solitary other England player in over a century – 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 originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.