England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple interviews following his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus Australia previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, the captain noted he had allowed his sentiment to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I've done all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England were beaten in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his players had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from the captain and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their previous three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.
Consequently, the home team require four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's drought in this country to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of cricket – with England fell the initial matches in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," admitted the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here against them. They were the front-runners and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, adding to his poor record versus the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has played an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he finished.
