Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.

But, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."

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

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

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

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

Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.

"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.