Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks

England opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.

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

But, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.

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

Prior to the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in charge.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special going into this Test."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.

This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.

A loss will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"It's been difficult. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, adding to his modest returns versus the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.

But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

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

"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.