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

The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.

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

But, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"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

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Prior to this match, he said his team 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 guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."

Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

Lyon's triple strike 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.

This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place In Question

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

Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.