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

England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by skipper Stokes about the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes delivered those words in several interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.

But, after Crawley made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.

Before this match, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.

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

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

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

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a notional total of 435 runs.

Consequently, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three Tests.

A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.

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

The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.

"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place In Question

While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate future in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

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

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

Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

However, the opener insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."

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

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.