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

England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".

The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.

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

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

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

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

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

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

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.

This means, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three matches played.

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

The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests 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 determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

While Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised 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 he. "He has had a good year to be frank."

"He has played some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.