Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks

The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain 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 Crawley made 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. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.

"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this game."

Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.

Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

A loss will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell 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 destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."

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

"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.

Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.