Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.

"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.

But, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

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

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in charge.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."

Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.

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

This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.

Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.

The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."

"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

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

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.

Only one other English batsman since 1900 – 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 originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."

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

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.