England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several interviews in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes against the Australians earlier this month.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where the visitors now face a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I required," said Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" observation after his side were beaten in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad afterwards took a break to Noosa in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the series.
Yet, the Kent batsman stated the messaging from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with lots of freedom. We believed we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this Test."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side six down for 207 in pursuit of a notional total of 435.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable three-nil advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight overseas Ashes series loss.
The current battle will be completed in only 11 days of play – with England losing the initial matches in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined more swiftly. The hosts have also won in 11 days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to win the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.
"It's been difficult. Australia is a formidable team. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They entered as the favourites and have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the fourth Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 runs in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a half-century and averages 17.62.
A solitary other England player in over a century – Dennis Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and returned a poorer average.
But, the opener insisted any notion his teammate is under the microscope comes from "you guys" – referring to the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "He has had a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced some really good knocks. This is talk from the outside. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
