Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks

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

Stokes made those words in several conversations following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.

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

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

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

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous tenure in charge.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."

Australia On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

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

Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil lead after three matches played.

Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

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

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.

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

"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.

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

However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."

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

"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.