Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks

The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

Stokes delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.

But, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

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

Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in charge.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."

Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.

Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.

A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

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

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."

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

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks 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 Saturday, adding to his poor record versus Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

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

However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.