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

England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

Stokes made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.

However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

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

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

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

The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special going into this game."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.

Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

A loss would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.

This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

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

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."

"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.