England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by skipper Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made those words in multiple conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, the captain noted he had let his sentiment to "drift around" within the playing group.
"I've done the necessary discussions in recent days that I required," said the England leader.
However, following Crawley made 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I didn't see that."
"I wasn't actively searching 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 issued his "weak men" observation after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards went on a holiday to Noosa in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, he said his players had held "raw" talks and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their effort to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained in line with their prior tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, play our way, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Series Victory
Crawley's dismissal on day four came during a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Ben Stokes – left the chasing side 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia need four wickets on Sunday's last day to secure an insurmountable three-nil lead after three matches played.
A loss would prolong England's drought in Australia to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series will be completed in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
Not since 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in England in eight days, has the outcome of the urn been decided so quickly. Australia have also won in 11 days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"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 plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," he continued.
"The challenge has been tough. They're a formidable team. It was inevitably hard coming here to face them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, 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 knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
In 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, the opener said any notion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "you guys" – meaning the press – "not inside the camp."
"We all know how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year if I'm honest."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There is no discussion like that regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
