England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he had no knowledge of comments from captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
Stokes made those words in multiple interviews following his team's defeat in the second Ashes against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had allowed his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and third matches.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team need just four more wickets on the final day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disappointing," admitted the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable team. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They were the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top six in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
