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

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

Stokes made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.

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

"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.

However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "weak men" comment after England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.

Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia spinner Lyon.

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

Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.

The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

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

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

In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

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

But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has played several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.