Zak Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Remarks

England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.

Ahead of the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the squad.

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.

But, following the opener made 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. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

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

The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

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

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.

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

A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

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

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

But, Crawley said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."

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