England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes regarding the dressing room as no place for "weak men".
Stokes delivered those words in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia previously.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss at the earliest opportunity, the captain noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
But, following Crawley scored a knock of 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. We take everything that is said in the press with some skepticism," Crawley continued.
Raw Conversations and Steady Philosophy
The captain made the "weak men" comment after England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall 2-0 down.
The England squad subsequently went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third Tests.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their battle to remain in contention in the Ashes battle.
Yet, the Kent batsman asserted the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous tenure in charge.
"It's been extremely upbeat, the same as always," noted the opener. "The focus is on maintaining positivity, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do an extraordinary feat entering this game."
The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph
Crawley's wicket on day four was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's three wickets in a short spell – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435 runs.
Consequently, Australia require just four more wickets on Sunday's final day to secure an insurmountable 3-0 lead with three Tests.
Defeat would prolong the English team's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth successive overseas Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just eleven days of cricket – after England fell the initial matches in two and four days each.
The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been determined more swiftly. Australia have also triumphed in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"This is disappointing," said the batsman. "Our goal was to win the Ashes and now we are facing elimination at this point."
"There will still be significant pride at stake and we'll definitely view it like that," he continued.
"It's been tough. They're a very, very good side. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his short-term place in the England team, Pope appears under threat for his position in the Melbourne Test starting December 26th.
The Surrey batsman was out for 17 runs in the team's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
Across sixteen Ashes knocks, the Surrey man has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
A solitary other English batsman in over a century – Amiss – has featured as many times in the top order in the Ashes and returned a lower average.
But, Crawley said any notion Pope is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"The squad is fully aware how good of a player he is," said Crawley. "Ollie has enjoyed a productive year to be frank."
"He has produced several excellent innings. It is noise externally. There is no discussion of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
