Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Remarks

England opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".

Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.

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

But, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."

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

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.

The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."

The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

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

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.

This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage after three Tests.

Defeat will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.

This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches 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 urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

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

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.

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

However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.