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

England opener Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated 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 Stokes.

However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

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

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.

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

"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," 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."

Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

The opener's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435 runs.

This means, Australia need four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.

Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.

This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"This is disappointing," said Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.

"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.

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

But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he finished.