Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Remarks

England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.

"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked Stokes.

However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"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 issued his "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the series.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this Test."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.

Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.

This series will be completed in just eleven days of cricket – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.

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

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

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough touring here to face them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."

Pope's Position In Question

Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.

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

A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.

However, Crawley said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

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

"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.