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

The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.

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

But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "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 press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed 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.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

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

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.

This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series loss.

This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days each.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."

"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.

"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.

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

Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning 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 played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley finished.