Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks

The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.

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

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

But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

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

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."

Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.

This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.

A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.

The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.

"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.

A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer 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."

"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.