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

England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder made those words in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.

"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.

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. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The team afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.

Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.

Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.

The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," Crawley added.

"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.

A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.

However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

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