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

The English opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes against Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the playing group.

"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.

But, following Crawley scored a knock of 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 everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.

The team afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.

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

Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."

Australia Close of Historic Series Victory

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

The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.

This means, the home team require four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.

In 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 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

But, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.