Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.

"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.

But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

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

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435 runs.

This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.

Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.

This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Position In Question

While Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.