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

The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.

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

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

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."

The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.

This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead after three Tests.

A loss will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.

This series will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.

"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.

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

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

However, the opener said 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," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.