Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Comments

The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made those words in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.

"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.

But, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third Tests.

Prior to this match, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in charge.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this game."

Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

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

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.

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

A loss would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.

This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when Australia sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain 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 like that," Crawley added.

"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Pope's Place In Question

Although Crawley's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate future in the England team, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns against Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."

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

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he finished.