Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made those words in multiple conversations following England's defeat in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.

However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.

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

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."

Australia Close of Rapid Series Victory

The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive 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 – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.

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

Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.

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

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.

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

But, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.