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

The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.

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

But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

The team subsequently went on a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before this match, he said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.

Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory

The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.

Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.

Defeat will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.

The current battle will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"This is disappointing," admitted 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," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

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

Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.

In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.

However, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."

"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.