England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series versus Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face defeat at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team subsequently took a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before the Adelaide contest, he revealed his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had stayed in line with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," noted Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with lots of freedom. It felt like we could do an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435 runs.
Consequently, the home team require just four more wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes defeat.
The current battle will be completed in only eleven days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
Not since 1921, when Australia sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was inevitably tough touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and they've proven why."
Ollie Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his short-term place in the side, Pope appears under immense pressure for his position 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 Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," Crawley finished.
