England opener Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the team environment not being "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I've done all the talking over the past two days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a break to Noosa between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, he said his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – left the chasing side six down for 207 chasing a notional total of 435 runs.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil lead with three Tests.
Defeat will extend the English team's drought in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.
Not since 1921, when the Australians completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was inevitably tough coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although Crawley's innings in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the fourth Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on Saturday, extending his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
But, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," he concluded.
