Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.

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

But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

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

The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.

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

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

"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

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

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.

Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches 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. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

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

"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."

"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.