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

England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".

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

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.

But, following Crawley scored 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.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

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

The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.

Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in charge.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."

Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

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

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.

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

Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.

This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

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

"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

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

But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.