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

The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.

"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.

But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."

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

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."

Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.

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

Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.

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

However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."

"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.