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

England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".

Stokes made 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.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.

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

But, after Crawley scored a knock of 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 anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

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

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

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.

This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.

Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."

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

"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

But, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."

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

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