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

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.

"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.

However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.

Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.

The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place In Question

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 fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

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

But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."

"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.