Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.

But, following Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.

Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

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

"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

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

"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.