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

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.

However, following the opener made 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. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

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

Prior to this match, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.

Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."

Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.

Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.

This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

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

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

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

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

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

"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.