Zak Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks

The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.

Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.

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

However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

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

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment after his side were beaten in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

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

The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England six down for 207 chasing a daunting total of 435.

This means, Australia need four wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.

Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.

This series will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," Crawley added.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

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

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

In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a good year to be frank."

"He has played several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.