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

England opener Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

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

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" among the playing group.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.

But, following Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "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," he added.

Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go two matches behind.

The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his players had held "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the series.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.

"It's been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we could do something special going into this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

Crawley's wicket late on Saturday was part of a decisive three-wicket burst 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 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.

This means, the home team need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"This is disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Pope's Position In Question

While the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.

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

Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.

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

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."

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