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

The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.

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

However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"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 some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.

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

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.

Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special entering this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

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

Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.

A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.

This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.

"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be tough touring 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 likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.

Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.

But, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

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