Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Comments

The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in several interviews following England's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.

"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.

But, after Crawley scored 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. We take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.

The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming Tests.

Prior to this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.

Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had remained in line with their prior three years in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we could do something special going into this game."

The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph

Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England 207-6 chasing a daunting total of 435.

Consequently, Australia need just four more wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil advantage with three matches played.

A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.

This series is set to be decided in only eleven days of play – with England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.

Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and they've proven why."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's innings in the third Test probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the side, Pope looks under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on Saturday, adding to his modest returns against Australia.

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

A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.

But, Crawley said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."

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

"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There is no discussion of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley concluded.