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

England opener Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus Australia previously.

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

"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," said Stokes.

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

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.

Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy

The captain issued his "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.

The England squad afterwards went on a break to Noosa between the second and third Tests.

Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.

Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from the captain and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."

Australia On the Verge of Historic Series Victory

Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a decisive triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional target of 435.

Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three Tests.

Defeat would prolong England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive away Ashes loss.

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

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

"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."

"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.

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

Pope's Position In Question

While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of just 17.62.

A solitary other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.

However, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "and not within the team."

"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."

"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.