Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Comments

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

Stokes made those words in several interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes against Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "drift around" within the playing group.

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

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

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.

Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

Crawley's wicket on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.

Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.

This series will be completed in only 11 days of play – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.

"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place In Question

Although the opener's innings in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.

Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

However, the opener said any notion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."

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

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