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

The English opener Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".

Stokes made this message in multiple interviews following England's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia earlier this month.

Ahead of the third Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said the England leader.

However, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain issued his "weak men" comment after England were beaten in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.

The team afterwards went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before this match, he said his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.

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

"It's been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special entering this game."

The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

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

Lyon's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.

This means, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.

Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.

The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.

"It's disheartening," said Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against the old enemy.

In sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.

But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

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

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise from the outside. There is no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.