Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.

But, following the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.

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

"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."

Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

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

Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.

This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.

Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.

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

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

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

"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.

Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.