Zak Crawley Claims Ignorance of Stokes' Controversial 'Frail Characters' Comments

The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes made this message in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.

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

But, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

Stokes issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.

The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Prior to this match, he said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain in contention in the series.

Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their previous tenure in leadership.

"It's been very positive, the same as always," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, 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

Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435.

This means, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.

Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes series defeat.

This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed a series win in the UK 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 21st century.

"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.

"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place In Question

Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his poor record against Australia.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages just 17.62.

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

But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."

"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.