Zak Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks

The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.

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

But, 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," Crawley continued.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

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

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

Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.

Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."

Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

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

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.

Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.

A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.

The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.

"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.

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

But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.