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

The English opening batter Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

Stokes made those words in several conversations in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.

In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.

"I've done all the talking in recent days that I required," remarked the England leader.

But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the press with a pinch of salt," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

The team afterwards took a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.

Prior to this match, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.

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

"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."

The Hosts On the Verge of Historic Ashes Triumph

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

The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435.

This means, Australia require just four more wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.

Defeat would prolong England's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.

The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in rapid time respectively.

Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won 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 will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They were the favourites and they've proven why."

Pope's Position In Question

Although Crawley's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.

Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, extending his poor record against the old enemy.

Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.

A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

But, Crawley insisted any notion his teammate is being scrutinised originates with "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.