Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks

England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder made this message in several conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said Stokes.

However, after the opener made a knock of 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 press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "weak men" comment after his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.

The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory

Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

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

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.

A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.

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

"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

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

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.