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

England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.

However, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."

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

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.

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

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.

"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."

Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.

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

A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.

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

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was 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 like that," he continued.

"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Position In Question

Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.