Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.

"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.

However, after the opener scored 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. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

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

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

Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.

"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."

The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.

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

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

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

The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.

Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.