Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".

Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.

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

However, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes 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 Ashes battle.

Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "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 On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.

This means, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three matches played.

Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.

The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

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

"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.