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

England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.

But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.

The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.

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

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."

Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.

Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.

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

This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

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

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

"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.