Zak Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Remarks

The English opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

Stokes made those words in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.

Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the playing group.

"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.

But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

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

Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the series.

Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line 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 great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."

Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.

This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.

A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

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

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

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope looks 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 modest returns versus Australia.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

But, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

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

"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.