Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.

"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.

However, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.

The team subsequently took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.

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

"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

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

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.

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

Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.

This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

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

"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

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

"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.