The English opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments made by captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in multiple interviews in the wake of England's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, Stokes stated he had let his sentiment to "circulate freely" among the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the press with some skepticism," he added.
Frank Discussions and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "fragile individuals" observation subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort between the second and the upcoming Tests.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior three years in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," noted Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. It felt like we were capable of something special entering this Test."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a crucial three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in a short spell – he also bowled Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the last day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes loss.
This series will be completed in just 11 days of play – after England losing the initial matches in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said the batsman. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're staring down the barrel at this point."
"There remains 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 team. It was inevitably hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures questions about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope looks under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and averages 17.62.
Only one other England player in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and returned a poorer average.
However, Crawley insisted any notion Pope is being scrutinised originates with "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said he. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There is no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.
