Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Comments

The English opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".

Stokes made this message in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.

However, following the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"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 Consistent Messaging

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

The team afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third matches.

Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.

Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

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

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

This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.

The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Pope's Position In Question

Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."

"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.