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

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.

"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said the England leader.

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

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

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

Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."

Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.

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

This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.

Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.

This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

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

"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place In Question

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

Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.

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

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.

However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."

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

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.