Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Controversial 'Weak Men' Comments

England opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.

"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.

However, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.

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

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.

Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.

A loss 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 will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.

Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

Pope was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

A solitary other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.

But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.