Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks

The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" among the squad.

"I have completed the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.

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

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

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

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

Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the series.

Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."

Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's wicket late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.

This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.

Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

This series will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

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

"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

However, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley finished.