Crawley Claims Ignorance of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Comments

The English opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder delivered this message in multiple conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.

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

"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.

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

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman asserted the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous three years in charge.

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this Test."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.

This means, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.

A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days each.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"This is disappointing," 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 difficult. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."

Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

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

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 in the team's second innings on day four, adding to his poor record against Australia.

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

Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

But, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."

"We all know of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a good year if I'm honest."

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he concluded.