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

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

Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.

"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.

However, following the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before this match, Stokes said 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.

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

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.

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

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

A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.

This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.

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

A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.