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

England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.

However, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"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 Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.

Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.

This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.

A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.

The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it like that," he continued.

"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

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

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "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 talk from the outside. There's no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.