England opener Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of comments from skipper Ben Stokes about the dressing room not being "weak men".
Stokes delivered this message in multiple conversations in the wake of his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against Australia earlier this month.
In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where the visitors are staring at defeat at the earliest opportunity, the captain stated he had let his message to "drift around" within the squad.
"I've done the necessary discussions over the past two days that I required," remarked Stokes.
But, following the opener scored a knock of 85 on the fourth day in the third Test, he stated: "I missed those remarks."
"I didn't see and wasn't really looking out for it. Our approach is to 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 subsequent to his side were beaten in Brisbane to go two matches behind.
The team afterwards went on a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and third matches.
Before this match, Stokes revealed his team had held "raw" conversations and he had asked them to "show a bit of dog" in their battle to remain alive in the Ashes battle.
Nevertheless, Crawley stated the messaging from Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.
"The atmosphere has been very positive, unchanged," 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."
The Hosts Close of Rapid Ashes Triumph
The opener's dismissal late on Saturday came during a crucial triple-strike by Australian spinner Lyon.
The spinner's triple strike in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Harry Brook and Ben Stokes – left England 207-6 chasing a notional target of 435.
This means, the home team need just four more wickets on Sunday's last day to move to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage with three Tests.
A loss will extend the English team's winless run in this country to 18 Tests and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes loss.
This series is set to be decided in just 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time each.
Not since 1921, when Australia completed victory in England in eight days, has the destination of the urn been determined so quickly. Australia have also won in eleven days on two other instances in the 21st century.
"It's disappointing," said Crawley. "We came here to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel at this point."
"There will still be plenty to play for and we will certainly approach it with that mindset," Crawley added.
"The challenge has been difficult. Australia is a very, very good team. It was always going to be hard coming here against them. They entered as the favourites coming in to it have demonstrated their quality."
Pope's Position Under Scrutiny
While Crawley's performance in Adelaide probably answers questions about his immediate future in the side, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the Melbourne Test on Boxing Day.
The Surrey batsman fell for 17 in England's second innings on day four, extending his modest returns against the old enemy.
In 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a half-century and boasts an average of 17.62.
Only one other England player since 1900 – Amiss – has played as many times in the top six in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.
But, the opener said any suggestion his teammate is under the microscope originates with "you guys" – referring to the press – "and not within the team."
"We all know how good of a player he is," added he. "He has had a productive year if I'm honest."
"He has produced several excellent innings. This is talk externally. There is no chat of that nature on Ollie amongst the players," he concluded.
