Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks

The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.

However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

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

Before this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory

The opener's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.

Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.

Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.

This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

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

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

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

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

Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

However, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

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

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.