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

England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.

Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.

But, following 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 everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."

Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.

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

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

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."

"He has played several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.