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

The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".

Stokes delivered those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.

"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.

However, after Crawley 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 anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.

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

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.

This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.

A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.

The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

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

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.

But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."

"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.