England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements made by captain Ben Stokes about the team environment as no place for "weak men".
The all-rounder made this message in several conversations following his team's loss in the second Ashes series versus the Australians previously.
Ahead of the third Test, where England are staring at defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his sentiment to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking in recent days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after the opener made 85 on the fourth day in Adelaide, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. We take anything stated in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain made the "weak men" observation subsequent to England were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The England squad afterwards took a break to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and coach McCullum had stayed consistent with their prior three years in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "It's just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. It felt like we were capable of an extraordinary feat going into this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Series Victory
The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Stokes himself – left England 207-6 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require four wickets on the last day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three matches played.
Defeat will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive away Ashes defeat.
The current battle is set to be decided in only eleven days of cricket – after England fell the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians completed a series win in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination now."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it like that," Crawley added.
"It's been tough. Australia is a formidable side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
Although Crawley's innings in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on Saturday, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has failed to score a half-century and averages 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in Ashes Tests and recorded a lower average.
However, Crawley insisted any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "the media" – referring to the press – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk from the outside. There's no discussion like that on Ollie in the camp," Crawley concluded.
