England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made this message in several interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where the visitors now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes made the "fragile individuals" comment subsequent to his side were beaten in the second Test to go 2-0 down.
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, he said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the messaging from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
Australia Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to move to an insurmountable three-nil lead with three Tests.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was inevitably hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope was out for 17 runs in the team's second knock on day four, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, the opener insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he finished.
