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

The English opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.

But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth 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 a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The team subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

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

Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435.

Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.

Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.

This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests 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 Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."

Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a good 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 amongst the players," Crawley finished.