Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.

"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.

But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."

Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three matches played.

Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.

This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.

But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.