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

England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes delivered this message in several conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.

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

However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

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

Prior to this match, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.

Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.

This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK 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 21st century.

"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

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

"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

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

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.