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

England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".

Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.

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

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.

Before this match, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.

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

Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.

This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

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

"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."

Pope's Position In Question

Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

But, the opener said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

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

"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.