Crawley Unaware of Captain Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Comments

The English opener Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".

The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following England's loss in the second match of the Ashes against Australia previously.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" among the squad.

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

However, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.

Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy

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

The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming matches.

Before this match, he revealed his players had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.

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

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

The opener's wicket on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.

The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.

Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.

A loss would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series defeat.

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

The last time 1921, when the Australians completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.

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

"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it like that," 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 were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."

Pope's Place Under Scrutiny

Although the opener's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.

The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.

In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.

Only one other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times 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" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."

"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."

"He has produced some really good knocks. It is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley finished.