Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made this message in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians previously.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.

"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.

However, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "weak men" observation after England were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

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

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

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their prior tenure in charge.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.

This means, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.

Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

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

"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.