England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he was not familiar with comments from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
The all-rounder delivered those words in several conversations following England's defeat in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.
In the lead-up to the third Test, where England now face defeat with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had allowed his message to "drift around" among the squad.
"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.
However, following the opener scored 85 on the penultimate day in Adelaide, he commented: "I missed those remarks."
"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," he added.
Raw Conversations and Consistent Messaging
Stokes issued his "weak men" comment subsequent to England suffered a loss in Brisbane to fall two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.
Prior to the Adelaide contest, Stokes said his team had held "honest" talks and he had asked them to "display some fight" in their battle to stay in contention in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the guidance from Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their previous three years in charge.
"It's been very positive, unchanged," said the opener. "It's on maintaining positivity, play our way, with great liberty. We believed we were capable of something special entering this game."
Australia On the Verge of Rapid Ashes Triumph
Crawley's dismissal late on Saturday was part of a crucial triple-strike by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
Lyon's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant the chasing side 207-6 chasing a daunting target of 435.
This means, Australia require four wickets on the final day to move to an unassailable 3-0 advantage after three matches played.
A loss will extend England's winless run in Australia to 18 Tests and condemn them to a fourth successive overseas Ashes series defeat.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of cricket – with England losing the first two Tests 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 outcome of the Ashes urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other occasions in the modern era.
"This is disheartening," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and we're facing elimination at this point."
"There remains significant pride at stake and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"It's been difficult. They're a formidable side. It was inevitably tough touring here against them. They were the front-runners and have demonstrated their quality."
Ollie Pope's Place Under Scrutiny
Although the opener's performance in the third Test likely secures doubts about his short-term place in the England team, Ollie Pope looks under threat for his spot in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
Pope was out for 17 in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record versus Australia.
Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has never made a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a lower average.
However, the opener said any suggestion Pope is being scrutinised comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "Ollie has enjoyed a good year to be frank."
"He has played some really good knocks. It is noise from the outside. There is no discussion like that on Ollie amongst the players," Crawley concluded.
