Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks

The English opening batter Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from skipper Stokes regarding the team environment as no place for "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.

"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.

But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

Stokes made the "weak men" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

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 "raw" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, 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," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this game."

The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.

This means, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.

A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.

This series will be completed in only 11 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 destination of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.

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

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

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although the opener'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 modest returns versus the old enemy.

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

A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.

But, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

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

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.