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

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

The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.

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

But, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

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

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

Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

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

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.

Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."

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

"It's been tough. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

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

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."

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