Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Comments

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians previously.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.

"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.

However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate 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 media with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes made the "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.

Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in charge.

"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

Australia Close of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.

Consequently, Australia require four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.

This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.

Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending 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 just 17.62.

Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.

However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."

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

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.