Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Remarks

England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder made those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.

However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

The team afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.

Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.

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

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three matches played.

Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.

The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.

"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man 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 as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.