The English opener Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with statements from skipper Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room not being "those lacking fortitude".
The all-rounder delivered this message in several conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second Ashes versus the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.
"I have completed the necessary discussions over the past two days that I needed to have done," remarked Stokes.
However, after Crawley scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take anything stated in the media with a pinch of salt," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
The captain issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to go 2-0 down.
The team subsequently went on a holiday to Noosa between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to stay alive in the Ashes battle.
Yet, Crawley asserted the messaging from Stokes and head coach McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"The atmosphere has been extremely upbeat, the same as always," said Crawley. "It's on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat going into this game."
Australia Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal on day four was part of a decisive triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – he also bowled Brook and Ben Stokes – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting total of 435.
This means, the home team require four wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three Tests.
A loss will extend England's winless run in this country to 18 consecutive matches and condemn them to a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
The current battle is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests in two and four days respectively.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided more swiftly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the 21st century.
"It's disheartening," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."
"There remains plenty to play for and we'll certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been tough. Australia is a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard touring here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."
Pope's Place In Question
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures questions about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
Pope fell for 17 runs in the team's second knock on Saturday, adding to his modest returns versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, the Surrey man has never made a half-century and averages just 17.62.
Only one other English batsman since 1900 – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "not inside the camp."
"The squad is fully aware of his considerable talent," added Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. This is noise externally. There's no chat of that nature regarding Pope in the camp," he finished.
