Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Weak Men' Comments

The English opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.

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

However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory

The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.

Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.

Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.

This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."

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

"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While the opener's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.

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

A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

However, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."

"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.