Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Ben 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 versus Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.

But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the series.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in leadership.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special entering this Test."

Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.

This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.

Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

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

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."

Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.

However, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."

"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.