Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks

England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.

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

However, after the opener scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous three years in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

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

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.

Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.

Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.

This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."

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

"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages 17.62.

Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.

However, Crawley said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."

"We all know of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.