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

The English opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.

"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.

But, following Crawley scored 85 on the penultimate 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.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

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

The England squad afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the series.

Yet, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."

Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.

This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.

A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.

The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.

Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

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

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year to be frank."

"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.