Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Remarks

The English opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.

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

However, after the opener made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."

Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Lyon.

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

This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.

Defeat will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."

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

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.

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

However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.