Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Comments

England opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.

But, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.

This means, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead with three matches played.

A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

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

"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.