Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks

England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.

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

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

But, following the opener scored a knock of 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 anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in charge.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory

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

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.

This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.

Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."

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

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.