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

The English opening batter Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments made by captain Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations following his team's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.

Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.

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

However, following the opener 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. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.

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

Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

The opener's dismissal on day four was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.

Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three Tests.

Defeat would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.

This series will be completed in just eleven days of play – after England losing the first two Tests in two and four days each.

The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"It's disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel now."

"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."

Ollie Pope's Position In Question

While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against Australia.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no discussion like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.