Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Comments

England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder made those words 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 third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.

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

However, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.

Before this match, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."

Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

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

This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.

"It's been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place In Question

While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.

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

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

However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.