Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.

However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, 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 media with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."

Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory

Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.

This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.

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

Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

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

But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."

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