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

England opening batter Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder made this message in multiple interviews in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.

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

However, after the opener scored 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 some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go 2-0 down.

The England squad subsequently took a break to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in charge.

"The atmosphere has been very positive, the same as always," said the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."

Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

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

The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a daunting target of 435.

This means, the home team require just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead with three matches played.

Defeat would prolong the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.

Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."

"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it like that," he continued.

"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They entered as the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's performance in the third Test probably answers doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.

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

But, the opener said any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.