Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Comments

The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

Stokes delivered this message in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.

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

But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "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 media with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "weak men" observation after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory

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

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.

This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.

Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.

This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."

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

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

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.

A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

However, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.