Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.

But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

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

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.

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

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

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

The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory

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

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.

This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.

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

The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

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

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.

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

A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.