Zak Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".

Stokes made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.

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

However, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special entering this game."

Australia Close of Historic Series Victory

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

Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.

Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.

Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.

The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK 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 occasions in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

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

"The challenge has 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 front-runners and they've proven why."

Pope's Position In Question

Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

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

But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.