Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

Stokes delivered those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes against the Australians previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.

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

But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

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

The England squad afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this Test."

Australia Close of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.

This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.

Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.

The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England 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.

"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Pope's Place In Question

While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."

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

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.