England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second Ashes series against the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes noted he had let his message to "drift around" among the playing group.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, after the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The team afterwards took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes said his team had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from the captain and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in leadership.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat entering this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket late on Saturday came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
Consequently, the home team need four wickets on the final day to secure an unassailable three-nil advantage after three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight overseas Ashes series defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll definitely view it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's innings in Adelaide probably answers doubts about his short-term future in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
In sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a lower average.
However, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has played several excellent innings. This is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
