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

The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

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

Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.

"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.

However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

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

The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.

This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.

A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."

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

"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

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

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.

But, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.