Zak Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Remarks

England opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

Stokes made those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second Ashes series against Australia previously.

Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, the captain stated he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.

"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.

However, following the opener made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently took a holiday to Noosa between the second and third matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the series.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."

Australia Close of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.

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

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

A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes series loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches 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 urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.

"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

While the opener's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."

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

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.