England opening batter Zak Crawley suggested he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked the England leader.
However, after Crawley made a knock of 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
Stokes made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a break to a Queensland resort between the second and third Tests.
Prior to this match, he revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their effort to stay in contention in the series.
Yet, Crawley asserted the guidance from the captain and coach Brendon McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"It's been very positive, the same as always," noted the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial three-wicket burst by Australian spinner Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, Australia need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 lead after three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes series loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England fell the first two Tests in rapid time each.
The last time 1921, when Australia completed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the modern era.
"It's disappointing," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be tough coming here against them. They entered as the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Pope looks under threat for his spot in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second knock on day four, extending his modest returns versus the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, Pope 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 as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning 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 produced some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
