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

The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment not being "weak men".

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

Ahead of the third Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" among the squad.

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

But, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."

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

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain made the "weak men" observation after England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.

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

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

Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in charge.

"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory

The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.

Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three matches played.

Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.

The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.

"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

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

"It's been tough. They're a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

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

Pope fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his poor record versus Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.

Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.

But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.